By: Kyra Ching
The MoMA PS1 co-hosted Neighbor Night with Council Member Julie Won on October 21st as a special fall event celebrating the institution’s neighbors. The event offered after-hours access to the institution’s entire program, including new exhibitions by Sohrab Hura, Enzo Camacho & Ami Lien, Jasmine Gregory, and the Studio Museum in Harlem Artists in Residence.
There was music by Record Room, two tours, an art workshop and refreshments provided by local Long Island City businesses. Refreshments consisted of a wide variety of sweet and savory treats including mooncakes, pastries, wings, spring rolls, summer rolls, wings, pasta, rice balls, and more. Vendor tables also offered stickers and cards for their brick and mortar locations.
The Artist Intervention Tours were held at 7:00 pm and 7:30 pm. This experience highlighted art installations in the building’s infrastructure. Attendees learned about the stories and MoMA PS1 history behind each piece of art.
The tour also covered Alanna Heiss, the institution’s founder and a cultural curator who was a defining force in the 1970s Alternative Spaces Movement. The Alternative Spaces Movement aimed to reuse under-utilized and abandoned spaces. Heiss founded the Institute for Art and Union Resources, Inc., a non-profit providing studios and exhibition space in underutilized New York City buildings. The Institute for Art and Union Resources, Inc. secured a building that once housed a historic Long Island City school decommissioned in the previous decade. The PS1 opened with the seminal Rooms exhibition, inviting artists to transform the building’s halls, stairways, corridors, and boiler room with site-specific installations.
In the cafe, the art workshop was held by the Teen Art Salon, a nonprofit that supports, develops and promotes adolescent artists in Long Island City. The workshop was open for the entirety of Neighbor Night. Families made crafts together with brightly colored paper, markers, and glue.
Outside, the courtyard was filled with many attendees enjoying refreshments and listening to the music. The space was set up with structures of colorful, massive blocks that offered plentiful seating opportunities for attendees. There were also tables placed around the courtyard.
“I want to thank you so much, for all of you coming out and supporting this museum. We need more public spaces like this.” State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, whose district includes Long Island City and Astoria, told attendees gathered in the courtyard.
The MoMA PS1 is always free for New Yorkers. Located on Jackson Avenue, steps away from the Court Square station, the MoMA PS1 is open from 12 – 6 pm from Thursday through Monday. This season’s exhibitions are presented in English and Spanish, and select programs are available in Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, and Bisaya. There are digital guides allowing visitors to hear directly from the artists, as well as guided tour groups. Wheelchairs are available free of charge, and there is an elevator providing access to all public areas.
Established in 1971, the MoMA PS1 has been an artist-centered and community driven space for over 50 years. The MoMA PS1 continues to play a significant role in providing inclusive and accessible art experiences for New Yorkers. The Neighbor Night event highlighted the MoMA PS1’s dedication to providing a place where the community can encounter and engage with art and perspectives in experimental creative environments.
