MoMA PS1
MoMA PS1 is a leading contemporary art institution located at 22-01 Jackson Avenue in the Long Island City neighbourhood of Queens, New York City. Housed in a converted 19th-century public school building, it is one of the oldest and largest non-profit art centres in the United States dedicated exclusively to contemporary art. Since January 2000 it has operated as an affiliate of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Manhattan, with which it shares curatorial programmes and resources, while maintaining its own distinct identity as a venue for experimental, emerging, and socially engaged artistic practice.
At a glance
- Type
- Contemporary art museum and cultural centre
- Period
- Building: 1890s (former PS1 public school); institution founded 1971; affiliated with MoMA from 2000
- Style
- Repurposed Romanesque Revival public school building
- Location
- 22-01 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, NY 10001, USA
- Coordinates
- 40.7455° N, 73.9474° W
Overview
MoMA PS1 was founded in 1971 as PS1 Contemporary Art Center, one of the first American institutions to embrace a post-studio, building-as-artwork approach to contemporary art. It operates in a converted Romanesque Revival public school and attracts approximately 200,000 visitors per year. In addition to its exhibition programme, the institution is well known for its Warm Up summer music series held in the courtyard and for the Young Architects Program, a competition inviting architects to design temporary summer installations in the outdoor space.
History
The building that now houses MoMA PS1 was constructed in the 1890s as Public School 1 in the Long Island City neighbourhood of Queens. The institution was founded in 1971 by Alanna Heiss as the Institute for Art and Urban Resources, which took over vacant and underused civic buildings across New York City as alternative exhibition spaces. PS1 opened in its permanent Queens home in 1976 with a landmark exhibition in which over ninety artists transformed the entire building into a work of art. The institution was renamed PS1 Contemporary Art Center in 1997, and in January 2000 it became affiliated with MoMA — the first such partnership between a major encyclopaedic museum and an independent contemporary art space in the United States.
What you see
The exhibition spaces at MoMA PS1 occupy the classrooms, hallways, rooftop, and outdoor courtyard of the former school building, creating an unconventional environment in which architecture is integral to how art is experienced. The programme emphasises solo presentations by emerging artists, ambitious new commissions, and travelling exhibitions from international institutions. The outdoor courtyard transforms each summer into an outdoor stage and installation space for the Warm Up music series, designed around the winning proposal of the Young Architects Program competition.
Cultural significance
MoMA PS1 is widely credited with pioneering the alternative art space model in the United States and with helping to establish Long Island City as a significant art district. Its programme has consistently prioritised artists and ideas marginalised by mainstream institutions, making it a reference point for experimental and socially engaged contemporary art internationally. The MoMA affiliation has allowed it to function as a bridge between established museum culture and the experimental frontier.
Practical information
- Address
- 22-01 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens, New York, NY 11101, USA
- Opening hours
- Generally Thursday–Monday, 12:00–18:00; closed Tuesday–Wednesday. Check official website for current schedule and special events.
- Admission
- Fee applies; free for MoMA members; suggested admission for visitors under 16
- Website
- momaps1.org
Getting there
MoMA PS1 is easily reached by subway: take the E or M train to 23rd Street–Ely Avenue, or the 7 train to 45th Road–Court House Square — both are a short walk from the museum. By ferry, the East River Ferry stops at Long Island City. Parking is limited in the surrounding streets; public transport is strongly recommended.