One of New York City’s oldest nonprofit alternative art centers, The Kitchen is dedicated to offering artists opportunities to create and present new work within, and across, the disciplines of dance, film, literature, music, theater, video, and visual art. The institution fosters a community of artists and audiences, offering artists the opportunity to create—and for audiences to engage with—work that pushes the boundaries of artistic disciplines and strengthens meaningful dialogues between the arts and larger culture.

The Kitchen’s building at 512 West 19th Street in Chelsea has been crucial for all these endeavors. Opening in 1986 with an exhibition of Gretchen Bender’s landmark work Total Recall (acquired by the Museum of Modern Art), the building brings together live performances, exhibition-making, and public programming under one roof. Among the artists who have presented significant work at The Kitchen are Muhal Richard Abrams, Laurie Anderson, ANOHNI, Robert Ashley, Charles Atlas, Kevin Beasley, Beastie Boys, Gretchen Bender, Dara Birnbaum, Anthony Braxton, John Cage, Lucinda Childs, Julius Eastman, Philip Glass, Leslie Hewitt, Darius James, Joan Jonas, Bill T. Jones, Devin Kenny, Simone Leigh, Ralph Lemon, George Lewis, Robert Longo, Robert Mapplethorpe, Sarah Michelson, Tere O’Connor, Okwui Okpokwasili, Nam June Paik, Charlemagne Palestine, Sondra Perry, Vernon Reid, Arthur Russell, Cindy Sherman, Laurie Spiegel, Talking Heads, Greg Tate, Cecil Taylor, Urban Bush Women, Danh Vō, Lawrence Weiner, Anicka Yi, and many more.

For over 50 years, artists and audiences have treasured the creative flexibility and support made possible by The Kitchen's industrial settings. But over time, architectural barriers have also presented numerous challenges. Constructed in the 1920s, our building was originally an icehouse before being converted decades later into a film sound stage, and, finally, a working studio for artists such as Robert Whitman. Through these various uses, the building was transformed from a cavernous empty space to a multi-floor structure populated by large and small spaces—which themselves were continually re-adapted for new purposes, including a theater, gallery, dressing room and offices. While the building has served as an effective site for artists to experiment and take great creative risks, it must be upgraded and enhanced to better deliver a more ambitious and dynamic program that the public can enjoy and experience well into the future.

To ensure that its storied home continues to be an essential site of innovation, The Campaign for The Kitchen was launched in 2021 with a five-year goal of raising $40 million to fund essential renovations. Central to this is a re-imagined building that will realize greater technical and financial support for artists and, as important, greater accessibility for artists and audiences. While retaining its current scale and rugged patina, The Kitchen will enhance the accessibility and function of its building to match the dynamism of its ever-expanding program. Our projected opening in our newly renovated building will take place in the fall of 2024/early spring 2025. 

The Kitchen would like to thank the City of New York—including the Mayor's Office, City Council, and Manhattan Borough President's Office; The Kitchen’s Board of Directors; and the artists and galleries of Ice and Fire: A Benefit Exhibition in Three Parts for their support of the campaign to date.

We invite you to join us in preserving and strengthening this place that is so beloved among artists and audiences, and that has long served as a foundation for pioneering art-making in New York and beyond.

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