Performance Space was founded by artists in a decommissioned public school building in the East Village in 1980. For over 42 years, we have been commissioning and presenting artistic works that dissolve the borders of performance art, dance, theater, music, visual art, poetry and prose, ritual, night life, food, film, and technology, shattering artistic and social norms alike. Our new mission is:

YES To Artists

YES To Risks

YES To Community

YES To Every Body

YES To ______* (an invitation to the public to propose a 5th affirmation)

The artists of Performance Space foreground emergent movements in contemporary art and performance. New work takes risks, which is why “YES to Risks” is the second affirmation in our mission right after “YES to Artists.” This is not the first time our community has lived through a pandemic and political turmoil. In the 1980s and 90s, the organization was at the epicenter of the AIDS crisis and Culture Wars. Historically, the organization has had LGBTQ leadership and served LGBTQ communities, which reflects our founding by LGBTQ artists who created spaces for free artistic expression in our East Village neighborhood. Today, Performance Space remains a haven for queer and radical voices.