SculptureCenter is a not-for-profit, contemporary art museum located in

Long Island City Long Island City (LIC) is a neighborhood within the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; Sunnyside to the east; and Newtown Creek, which separates Queens from Greenpoint, Brook ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It was founded in 1928 as "The Clay Club" by Dorothea Denslow. In 2013, SculptureCentre attracted around 13,000 visitors.Randy Kennedy (October 1, 2014)
SculptureCenter Steps Out Into the Light
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The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

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History

Founded in

Crown Heights, Brooklyn Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue (New York City), Atlantic Avenue to the north, ...

, in 1928 as The Clay Club, it was located across the street from the

Brooklyn Children's Museum The Brooklyn Children's Museum is a children's museum in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Founded in 1899, it is the first children's museum in the United States – and according to some, the first one worldwide. It ...

.Christopher S. Wren (March 19, 2001)
Furor Over an Artists' Haven; Sculpture Center Plans to Move, Shedding Students and Studios
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''. Its founder, sculptor Dorothea H. Denslow, invited local children and later other artists to share her studio. SculptureCenter soon moved to 8 West Fourth Street in the

West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The West Village is bounded by the Hudson River to the west and 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to ...

in 1932 and then, in 1948, to a carriage house at 167 East 69th Street on the

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...

, where it operated a school with artists’ studios. The offerings included clay and wax modeling, stone and wood carving, welding, figure studies and portraits. There were are also after-school classes for children. In 2001, SculptureCenter's board closed both the school and the studios, sold the carriage house for $4.75 million and invested the proceeds in reinventing the organization in Queens as a European-style

kunsthalle A kunsthalle () is a facility that mounts temporary art exhibitions, similar to an art gallery. It is distinct from an art museum by not having a permanent collection. In the German-speaking regions of Europe, ''Kunsthallen'' are often operated ...

. The board also commissioned architects

Maya Lin Maya Ying Lin (Chinese: 林瓔; born October 5, 1959) is an American architect, designer and sculptor. Born in Athens, Ohio to Chinese immigrants, she attended Yale University to study architecture. In 1981, while still an undergraduate at Yal ...

and David Hotson to transform a derelict brick building into an exhibition space of with forty-foot-high ceilings and reinforced-concrete floors. In 2014, SculptureCenter underwent a 14-month, $4.5 million expansion and renovation led by architect Andrew Berman,Gabrielle Debinski (June 28, 2019)
SculptureCenter Names New Director
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'' including a addition, aimed at improving visitor experience and increasing exhibition space to , plus a enclosed courtyard for outdoor exhibitions and events.

Program

SculptureCenter has presented works by over 750 artists through its annual exhibition program, including Turner Prize winner Charlotte Prodger and nominee

Anthea Hamilton Anthea Hamilton (born 1978) is a British artist who graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University (Leeds Beckett University) and the Royal College of Art and was one of four shortlisted for the 2016 Turner Prize. Hamilton was responsible for the ...

, Sanford Biggers, Nairy Baghramian, Tom Burr, Liz Glynn, Rochelle Goldberg, Camille Henrot, Leslie Hewitt, Rashid Johnson, Rita McBride,

Catalina Ouyang Catalina Ouyang is an American sculptor and installation artist who lives and works in New York City. Career Ouyang's sculptures often incorporate atypical materials, from horse tibias and cigarette butts to a replica of a trench toilet in its e ...

, Ugo Rondinone, Katrín Sigurdardóttir, Alexandre Singh, Monika Sosnowska, Gedi Sibony, Mika Tajima, and Hugo Boss Prize winners Anicka Yi and Simone Leigh. As a non-collecting museum, its annual program includes approximately three exhibition cycles of 1–2 commissioning programs by mid-career artists, 10–15 projects and commissions by emerging artists, and 3–6 solo and group exhibitions. SculptureCenter offers free public programs and events including artist talks, performances, film screenings, and publications.

Notable people

Alumni

Faculty and leadership

* Armand Phillip Bartos (1910–2005) chairperson emeritus * Dorothea H. Denslow (1900–1971) founder * Sahl Swarz (1912–2004) welded sculpture teacher

Directors

* 1999–2019: Mary Ceruti * 2019–2020: Christian Rattemeyer * 2020–2022: Kyle Dancewicz (''ad interim'') * 2022–present: Sohrab MohebbiSarah Bahr (15 February 2022)
SculptureCenter Names New Director
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New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1928 establishments in New York City Art museums and galleries established in 1928 Art museums and galleries in Queens, New York Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in New York (state) Contemporary art galleries in the United States Long Island City Museums in Queens, New York