Clocktower Productions

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Clocktower Productions is a non-profit art institution working in the visual arts, performance, music, and radio. It was founded in 1972 as The Clocktower Gallery by Alanna Heiss, the Founder and former Director of MoMA PS1 (formerly P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center) under the aegis of the Institute for Art and Urban Resources. [1] [2] From 1972 until 2013, the institution operated out of a building at 346 Broadway, between Catherine Lane and Leonard Street, owned by the New York City government in Tribeca, Manhattan.

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In 2013, the City of New York sold 346 Broadway to a private developer, [3] and the organization relocated its operations through program partnerships with other arts institutions around the city, including Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn, Knockdown Center in Queens, and Times Square Arts, among others. [4] [5]

History

Clocktower Productions is the organization formerly known as The Clocktower Gallery and ARTonAIR.org. Opening in 1972 with inaugural shows. The Clocktower presented work in the visual arts, performance, and music by artists including Gordon Matta-Clark and Dennis Oppenheim [6]

After September 11, 2001, security procedures in the organization’s City-owned building suspended ongoing activity and exhibitions in the Clocktower. From 2004 until 2008, the Clocktower space operated as a satellite of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center (now MoMA PS1), housing the headquarters of Art Radio WPS1.org, the museum’s all-art Web-based radio station. [7] [8]

In December 2008, Alanna Heiss left P.S.1 [9] and returned to the Clocktower Gallery in order to run the radio station full-time, renaming the organization AIR, Art International Radio. [10]

From 2009 until 2013, the Clocktower Gallery produced exhibitions, residencies, and performances by artists including James Franco [11] , [12]

In December 2013, after the sale of the Clocktower Gallery building to a private developer, [13] the organization relocated its offices and activities through a network of program partnerships with other institutions around the city: Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Knockdown Center and Playland Motel in Queens, Times Square Arts, Jones Day, and Red Bull Studios in Manhattan. [14]

Clocktower Radio

The online radio station of Clocktower Productions was founded in 2004 as WPS1.org. In 2009, it was renamed AIR (Art International Radio) after Director Alanna Heiss left P.S.1, and in 2014 it was renamed again after Clocktower’s relocation from its City building. [15]

The collected online archives at clocktower.org contain over 7,000 programs of interviews, DJ sets, concert recordings, and music surveys covering literary figures, contemporary music, restored historic broadcasts, and artist profiles.

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References

  1. Frances Richard (August 18, 2012). "112 Greene Street: The Soho that Used to Be". Hyperallergic.
  2. Cristelle Terroni (7 October 2011). "The Rise and Fall of Alternative Spaces". books and ideas.
  3. Sam Spokony (December 4, 2013). "Clock strikes midnight on Downtown art gallery". Downtown Express.
  4. Rachel Small (December 4, 2013). "Alanna Heiss, On The Horizon". Interview Magazine.
  5. Zoë Lescaze (October 16, 2013). "Clocktower Gallery Will Leave Namesake Space Next Month". New York Observer.
  6. Bob Morris (January 18, 2012). "The Spirit of Youth, Circa 1970 New York". The New York Times.
  7. Phoebe Hoban (May 23, 2004). "ART; Radio Free TriBeCa". The New York Times.
  8. Tricia Romano (April 20, 2004). "Adieu, Bonjour". New York Village Voice.
  9. "P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center Founder and Director Alanna Heiss to Retire". New York artdaily.org.
  10. Jed Lipinski (June 23, 2009). "Image Not Available: Can Alanna Heiss Bring Art to the Airwaves?". New York artdaily.org.
  11. Roberta Smith (August 19, 2010). "When an Actor Casts Himself as an Artist". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-10-27.
  12. Erica Orden (June 17, 2010). "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Movie Star". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2014-10-27.
  13. Irene Plagianos (November 22, 2013). "Time's Up for Clocktower Gallery in TriBeCa After Four Decades". DNA info. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014.
  14. "Clocktower Gallery Relocation Press Release". October 24, 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-10-12. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  15. Pete Naughton (26 Aug 2014). "The 60 best internet radio stations". The Telegraph.

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