Art in General

The New Commissions Program, currently Art in General’s central focus, has flourished since its launch in 2005. The program was created in response to artists’ need for support to create major new projects that would significantly advance their practice. Art in General commissions new works from two to four artists each year, either through an open call, or through direct invitation. Art in General provides commissioned artists with both space and a budget for developing their project, as well as an honorarium. Initially designed for New York based artists, in 2012 this program expanded to include projects by international artists.

Art in General established the Eastern European Residency Exchange (EERE) in 2001, with the goal of supporting critical dialogue, the presentation of new work, and a greater understanding of diverse cultures. This program took the form of a two-way artist residency until 2013, when it expanded to encompass institutional co-commissioning and other forms of exchange. Art in General’s partner institutions have included: 'kim?' Contemporary Art Centre in Riga, Latvia; The Gardens in Vilnius, Lithuania; Pavilion Unicredit in Bucharest, Romania; Croatian Association of Artists (HDLU) in Zagreb, Croatia; The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rijeka, Croatia; Centre for Contemporary Arts FUTURA in Prague, Czech Republic; The Trafó House of Contemporary Arts in Budapest, Hungary; Bunkier Sztuki Gallery in Kraków, Poland; and The Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, Poland.

Art in General regularly organizes other programs and exhibitions. When Art in General was located in Manhattan, its Audio in the Elevator program began in 1990 in response to the slow-moving elevator that takes 38 seconds to reach the 6th floor gallery from street level. Art in General saw this unfavorable circumstance as an opportunity to create a new exhibition space in the elevator, where one to five audio or video art projects were displayed each year.

Art in General has a long history of supporting artists early in their careers. Since 1981, Art in General is proud to have supported and shown over 2,000 emerging and mid-career artists and collectives who have gone onto greater success, including Dorothea Rockburne, Joan Jonas, Kay WalkingStick, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Glenn Ligon, Byron Kim, Elizabeth Peyton, Marina Abramović, Gabriel Orozco, Paul Pfeiffer, William Pope.L, Pipilotti Rist, Francis Alÿs, Walid Raad, Sharon Hayes, Patty Chang, Allora & Calzadilla, Pierre Huyghe, Andrea Geyer, Xaviera Simmons, Lisi Raskin, Kambui Olujimi, Carlos Motta, Jill Magid, Marwa Arsanios, Adelita Husni-Bey, Dineo Seshee Bopape, Postcommodity, Duane Linklater, Chim↑Pom, Sondra Perry, Anna Daučíková, Aliza Shvarts, Zach Blas, among many others. Its roster of artists reflects its deep and long-standing commitment to diversity and equity in the arts. Art in General is often at the forefront of giving artists their first New York exhibitions.

The institution has also been a crucial one for giving diverse curators a chance to curate risk-taking exhibitions early in their careers. Not unlike the artists it supports, many who have curated exhibitions for Art in General as staff members or as guest curators have later gone on to notable acclaim for their impactful and highly original curatorial work, writing on contemporary artists, and leading of important arts institutions such as Holly Block, Anne Barlow, Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, Dean Daderko, Eva Diaz, Andria Hickey, Ruba Katrib, Laura Hoptman, Laurel Ptak, Franklin Sirmans, Hazma Walker, and others.

Art in General has a long history of supporting women in leadership roles. From 1981 to 1988, Art in General was led by its founders, artists Martin Weinstein and Teresa Liszka. After Weinstein and Liszka stepped aside from actively overseeing day-to-day operations, Holly Block was appointed the inaugural Executive Director. Subsequently, Art in General has proudly established itself as a woman-led organization.

Executive Directors: Holly Block (1988–2006); Anne Barlow (2007–2016); Laurel Ptak (2017–2020);[2] Irene Mei Zhi Shum (2020–present)

From 1981 to 2015, Art in General was located at 79 Walker Street in Manhattan, in a six-floor building owned by General Hardware Manufacturing Inc. (now General Tools & Instruments LLC), hence the organization’s name. Located at the intersection of three neighborhoods in New York City (Tribeca, SoHo, and Chinatown), Art in General has since its founding been committed to presenting new work by artists of color, women, immigrants and visiting artists. In 2003, Gerry Weinstein, CEO of General Tools & Instruments LLC, donated the storefront to Art in General for use as a gallery. In 2006, the sixth-floor gallery underwent a major renovation by Steven Learner Studios and was re-opened in January 2007 with Le Musée Minuscule, created in honor of New Langton Arts’ former space of the same name. After the building was sold and changed ownership, Art in General's then Director Anne Barlow moved its office to 20 Jay Street and its gallery to 145 Plymouth Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn from January 2016 to July 2020. Although the office and gallery had different mailing addresses, they were in fact located in the same building, owned by Two Trees Management. As of August 2020, Director Irene Mei Zhi Shum uprooted the organization once more, partnering with Mana Contemporary and relocating the office to Mana's facility in Jersey City, New Jersey. This new partnership allows Art in General to organize programs and exhibitions across Mana Contemporary’s real estate portfolio, which includes buildings in Jersey City, New Jersey; Chicago, Illinois; and Miami, Florida. It also provides studio space for visiting artists and curators for Art in General's residency programs. This opportunity was made possible by the generous support of Eugene Lemay, founder of Mana Contemporary.

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Art in General