The Studio is a new space for live events dedicated to performance, music, sound, spoken word, and expanded approaches to the moving image. Since MoMA’s founding, the Museum has shown dance and the performing arts through its collection and exhibition programming, and has often been a bold innovator in positioning live art within broader narratives of art history. Situated at the heart of the Museum, within the collection gallery circuit on the fourth floor, the Studio is the world’s first dedicated space for performance, process, and time-based art to be centrally integrated within the galleries of a major museum. This new space is a fundamental element in MoMA’s efforts to frame its collection as a living history for both collection-responsive programming and new commissions by established and emerging artists. The program aims to enrich histories of modern and contemporary art, while at the same time offering a key platform to support artists in creating new ways of engaging with audiences and experimenting with new art forms.
Designed to create an open, accessible, and generous experience, the Studio includes a double-height glass wall with a view of 53rd Street, an overlook from the fifth-floor collection galleries, and an entrance on the fourth floor that can be exposed to the adjacent galleries or sealed to control light and sound. The space supports the technical needs of performance with state-of-the-art facilities and acoustics. The scale of the space provides an intimate, focused experience with the work. With a capacity to accommodate multiple configurations, the Studio will be activated throughout the year by a range of performances, programs, and installations through commissions, festivals, residencies, rehearsals, and workshops.
The Studio program is organized by Stuart Comer, The Lonti Ebers Chief Curator of Media and Performance; Ana Janevski, Curator; and Martha Joseph, Assistant Curator, Department of Media and Performance; and Sophie Cavoulacos, Assistant Curator, Department of Film; with Giampaolo Bianconi, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Media and Performance; produced by Lizzie Gorfaine, Producer, with Kate Scherer, Manager, Performance and Live Programs.
Media and Performance at MoMA is made possible by Hyundai Card.
