New York
A new home for the visionary nonprofit organization Artists Space is a hub for experimentation and social engagement. A discreet portal, cut into an alley wall, opens into a new space that connects two floors of galleries for exhibition and performance.
“Superbly designed by Bade Stageberg Cox, the two-level space feels at once permanent and provisional; the entrance on Cortlandt Alley, off White Street, sets a perfect liminal tone.”
The New Yorker
Since its founding in 1972, Artists Space has occupied six different downtown locations as it shaped its visionary program of exhibition and performance and became a hub for aesthetic experimentation, social engagement and activism. The design of Artists Space’s new 8,000 sq ft home at the corner of Cortlandt Alley and White Street in Tribeca creates a venue particular to its unique place within the contemporary art world. The new space will support the organization’s program into the next two decades.
Spanning two floors and offering two entrances, the new venue gives Artists Space the capacity to present multiple exhibitions and performance works simultaneously. Critical to the reinvention of the space is the insertion of the substantial new opening on Cortlandt Alley, where a recess shelters a steel door that echoes the utilitarian streetscape. From the double-height space within, the visitor can move into three distinct areas that can be programmed in tandem or independently, maximizing flexibility.
The upper floor offers a large open gallery visible from the street. Below, a central space is flanked by vaults under the sidewalk, with high clerestory windows providing daylight. The design enables different sorts of activities throughout, with no space being off limits.
The upper floor offers a large open gallery visible from the street. Below, a central space is flanked by vaults under the sidewalk, with high clerestory windows providing daylight. The design enables different sorts of activities throughout, with no space being off limits.
The nineteenth century warehouse recalls the early history of contemporary art in New York. In contrast to the pristine gallery space, the cast iron columns remain unfinished; pipework is exposed and unpainted. The new construction deploys modest materials - sandblasted concrete, unfinished oak - that will register use and occupation as the program of Artists Space evolves.
The nineteenth century warehouse recalls the early history of contemporary art in New York. In contrast to the pristine gallery space, the cast iron columns remain unfinished; pipework is exposed and unpainted. The new construction deploys modest materials - sandblasted concrete, unfinished oak - that will register use and occupation as the program of Artists Space evolves.
The nineteenth century warehouse recalls the early history of contemporary art in New York. In contrast to the pristine gallery space, the cast iron columns remain unfinished; pipework is exposed and unpainted. The new construction deploys modest materials - sandblasted concrete, unfinished oak - that will register use and occupation as the program of Artists Space evolves.
The nineteenth century warehouse recalls the early history of contemporary art in New York. In contrast to the pristine gallery space, the cast iron columns remain unfinished; pipework is exposed and unpainted. The new construction deploys modest materials - sandblasted concrete, unfinished oak - that will register use and occupation as the program of Artists Space evolves.
Design Team
Timothy Bade
Jane Stageberg
Martin Cox (principal-in-charge)
Saumon Oboudiyat
Structural Engineer
Silman
MEPF Engineer
Plus Group Consulting Engineering
Photography
Michael Moran
Daniel Pérez
Filip Wolak
Paula Court
Design Team
Timothy Bade
Jane Stageberg
Martin Cox (principal-in-charge)
Saumon Oboudiyat
Design Team
Timothy Bade
Jane Stageberg
Martin Cox (principal-in-charge)
Saumon Oboudiyat
Design Team
Timothy Bade
Jane Stageberg
Martin Cox (principal-in-charge)
Saumon Oboudiyat
Structural Engineer
Silman
MEPF Engineer
Plus Group Consulting Engineering
Photography
Michael Moran
Daniel Pérez
Filip Wolak
Paula Court
Awards
Related News
12/19/2019
ARTnews
For its new home in Tribeca, Artists Space turned to BSC, where our design sensitively bridged the organization’s radical legacy with the material history of its cast-iron building, originally constructed in 1867. Working closely with executive director and chief curator Jay Sanders, principal Martin Cox—a board member and longtime collaborator with artists—led a renovation that emphasized subtlety and intentional restraint. “The challenge was how to make it look like we did very little—but, basically, we had to do everything,” Sanders explains. One of the most striking interventions is the addition of a new entrance through Cortlandt Alley, a move requiring Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. Once inside, a newly sculpted central stairway offers movement in every direction—up, down, left, or right—setting the tone for a space defined more by potential than prescription. The new two-level space supports Artists Space’s founding mission as a practitioner-driven, artist-centered venue for experimental exhibitions and performance. The renovation reflects an ethos of openness and modesty, echoing downtown loft aesthetics of the 1970s more than the polished neutrality of contemporary galleries. The flexible interior, preserved cast-iron columns, and quiet material choices all serve to recede institutional presence in favor of artistic control. With a 20-year lease in place, Artists Space is poised to continue fostering ambitious new work, maintaining its reputation as a key site of generative friction in the evolving cultural fabric of New York.
12/19/2019
ARTnews
For its new home in Tribeca, Artists Space turned to BSC, where our design sensitively bridged the organization’s radical legacy with the material history of its cast-iron building, originally constructed in 1867. Working closely with executive director and chief curator Jay Sanders, principal Martin Cox—a board member and longtime collaborator with artists—led a renovation that emphasized subtlety and intentional restraint. “The challenge was how to make it look like we did very little—but, basically, we had to do everything,” Sanders explains. One of the most striking interventions is the addition of a new entrance through Cortlandt Alley, a move requiring Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. Once inside, a newly sculpted central stairway offers movement in every direction—up, down, left, or right—setting the tone for a space defined more by potential than prescription. The new two-level space supports Artists Space’s founding mission as a practitioner-driven, artist-centered venue for experimental exhibitions and performance. The renovation reflects an ethos of openness and modesty, echoing downtown loft aesthetics of the 1970s more than the polished neutrality of contemporary galleries. The flexible interior, preserved cast-iron columns, and quiet material choices all serve to recede institutional presence in favor of artistic control. With a 20-year lease in place, Artists Space is poised to continue fostering ambitious new work, maintaining its reputation as a key site of generative friction in the evolving cultural fabric of New York.
12/19/2019
ARTnews
For its new home in Tribeca, Artists Space turned to BSC, where our design sensitively bridged the organization’s radical legacy with the material history of its cast-iron building, originally constructed in 1867. Working closely with executive director and chief curator Jay Sanders, principal Martin Cox—a board member and longtime collaborator with artists—led a renovation that emphasized subtlety and intentional restraint. “The challenge was how to make it look like we did very little—but, basically, we had to do everything,” Sanders explains. One of the most striking interventions is the addition of a new entrance through Cortlandt Alley, a move requiring Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. Once inside, a newly sculpted central stairway offers movement in every direction—up, down, left, or right—setting the tone for a space defined more by potential than prescription. The new two-level space supports Artists Space’s founding mission as a practitioner-driven, artist-centered venue for experimental exhibitions and performance. The renovation reflects an ethos of openness and modesty, echoing downtown loft aesthetics of the 1970s more than the polished neutrality of contemporary galleries. The flexible interior, preserved cast-iron columns, and quiet material choices all serve to recede institutional presence in favor of artistic control. With a 20-year lease in place, Artists Space is poised to continue fostering ambitious new work, maintaining its reputation as a key site of generative friction in the evolving cultural fabric of New York.
12/19/2019
ARTnews
For its new home in Tribeca, Artists Space turned to BSC, where our design sensitively bridged the organization’s radical legacy with the material history of its cast-iron building, originally constructed in 1867. Working closely with executive director and chief curator Jay Sanders, principal Martin Cox—a board member and longtime collaborator with artists—led a renovation that emphasized subtlety and intentional restraint. “The challenge was how to make it look like we did very little—but, basically, we had to do everything,” Sanders explains. One of the most striking interventions is the addition of a new entrance through Cortlandt Alley, a move requiring Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. Once inside, a newly sculpted central stairway offers movement in every direction—up, down, left, or right—setting the tone for a space defined more by potential than prescription. The new two-level space supports Artists Space’s founding mission as a practitioner-driven, artist-centered venue for experimental exhibitions and performance. The renovation reflects an ethos of openness and modesty, echoing downtown loft aesthetics of the 1970s more than the polished neutrality of contemporary galleries. The flexible interior, preserved cast-iron columns, and quiet material choices all serve to recede institutional presence in favor of artistic control. With a 20-year lease in place, Artists Space is poised to continue fostering ambitious new work, maintaining its reputation as a key site of generative friction in the evolving cultural fabric of New York.
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