Bard Campus Calendar

Difference and Media Project Presents

Gordon Matta-Clark and 112 Greene Street

A Talk with Jessamyn Fiore

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Olin Humanities, Room 201

112 Greene Street was one of New York’s first alternative, artist-run venues. Started in October 1970 by Jeffrey Lew, Gordon Matta-Clark and Alan Saret, among others, the building became a focal point for a young generation of artists seeking a substitute to New York’s established gallery circuit. In the spirit of the 1970s desire for experimentation, the space was open to artists from all disciplines and did not impose censorship over their shows. As such, the building provided the setting for a rare, singular moment of artistic ingenuity, invention, and freedom that was at its peak between 1970 and 1974.

For Matta-Clark, the venue became a creative laboratory in which he, among other projects, dug out the basement to create a “guerrilla” garden; recycled glass bottles; papered the walls; offered channels for fresh air; turned a dumpster into an open house; and collaborated on a critique of the role of art, architecture, and language in capitalist society with the Anarchitecture Group who met weekly at the space. Due to its many performance-based projects, the space quickly earned recognition as a leading forum for live art, and staged some of the earliest performances by Trisha Brown, The Philip Glass Ensemble, and Mabou Mines. Other signiﬁcant artists who frequently presented their work at the venue included Vito Acconci, Tina Girouard, Suzanne Harris, Jene Highstein, Larry Miller, Richard Nonas, and Alan Saret.
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Jessamyn Fiore is a writer, curator and co-director of the Gordon Matta-Clark Estate. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville NY, in 2002, Fiore moved to Ireland where she ran her own theatre company for three years. In 2007 Jessamyn became the director of Thisisnotashop, an independent art gallery dedicated to supporting emerging artists based in Dublin, Ireland. She received a Masters in contemporary art theory, practice, and philosophy from The National College of Art and Design, Dublin, in 2009. In 2010 she moved back to New York City where she has curated a number of exhibitions, including the group show 112 Greene Street: The Early Years (1970-1974) at David Zwirner Gallery in 2011. In 2012, she edited the accompanying publication 112 Greene Street: The Early Years (1970–1974) published by David Zwirner and Radius Books.

For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].

Location: Olin Humanities, Room 201

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