Willie Birch at Exit Art’s final exhibition “Every Exit is an Entrance: 30 Years of Exit Art”

via ExitArt.org

Exit Art announces its final exhibition EVERY EXIT IS AN ENTRANCE: 30 YEARS OF EXIT ART. Founded in 1982 by Executive Director Jeanette Ingberman and Artistic Director Papo Colo, Exit Art has grown from a pioneering alternative art space into an innovative cultural center. We have supported and fostered a vibrant, interdisciplinary artistic community in New York, organizing over 200 exhibitions, events, festivals and programs featuring more than 2,500 artists. Consistently challenging social, political, aesthetic and curatorial norms, Exit Art has organized historical exhibitions; presented the work of young, emerging, under-recognized and mid-career artists; produced experimental theater and performance works; and organized national and international film and video programs. Committed early on to experimenting with the intersections of film, video, performance, music, publications, design and visual art, Exit Art remained steadfast in its mission to provide new possibilities and opportunities for both artists and audiences alike.

At the heart of the institution is the relationship between Co-Founders Ingberman and Colo, who met in the late 1970s during a studio visit, fell in love, founded Exit Art, and dedicated their lives to nurturing a cultural center that responded to some of the most prescient issues of our time. EVERY EXIT IS AN ENTRANCE: 30 YEARS OF EXIT ART explores this rich history, from its founding in a loft apartment on Canal Street in 1982 to its years in SoHo at 578 Broadway (1984-1992) and 548 Broadway (1992-2002) and to its current Hell’s Kitchen location.

The retrospective exhibition will feature extensive documentation from Exit Art’s archives, including posters, promotional graphics, photographs, and elements of the innovative in-house exhibition designs employed in past exhibitions, as well as the work of a selection of artists championed over the years. In conjunction with the exhibition, Exit Art is organizing a series of events including film screenings, theater and performance programs, live performance and music, artist talks, curatorial presentations, panel discussions, and more. The exhibition will also include a reading library of materials Exit Art has published. Co-Founder Papo Colo will present a personal exhibition of photographic materials that celebrate the spirit of Exit Art, with a focus on the life of co-founder Jeanette Ingberman who passed away in August 2011.

ARTISTS (as of March 15, 2012):
John Ahearn, Vito Acconci, Candida Alvarez, Ida Applebroog, Suzanne Anker, Sonia Balassanian, Alvin Baltrop, Brandon Ballengée, Willie Birch, Nina Bovasso, Luis Camnitzer, Michael Chernishov, Sue Coe, Papo Colo, Jimmie Durham, Nicole Eisenman, Mary Ellen Strom, Ming Fay, John Fekner, Judy Fox, Rico Gatson, Chitra Ganesh, Nancy Grossman, Guerra de la Paz, Jane Hammond, Hachivi Edgar Heap of Birds, Charles Juhasz-Alvarado, Brad Kahlhamer, Ed Kashi, Jerry Kearns, Shu Lea Cheang, Jason Lujan, Elaine Lustig Cohen, Carrie Mae Weems, Alfred Martinez, Maritza Molina, Marcus Morales, Melissa Dubbin & Aaron S. Davidson, Antoni Muntadas, Nancy Spero & Leon Golub, Iván Navarro, Shirin Neshat, Roxy Paine, Joyce Pensato, Adrian Piper, Juan Sanchez, Cindy Sherman, Francesco Simeti, Tim Hillis & Gale Jackson, Fred Tomaselli, Anton Van Dalen, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Cecilia Vicuña, David Wojnarowicz, Revel Woodard, Martin Wong and more