PARTICIPANT INC

Artists, and the people who love them, come to New York City seeking communities of free-wheeling makers, thinkers, and doers. PARTICIPANT INC is one of those rare places where they find each other.

We come to witness art about the conversations behind the ones you’ll hear in the news. The kinds we should all be having all the time to push systemic justice forward.

You won't find “white cube” standards. Or pristine white walls. (The space's signature black walls make it feel like a TV studio.) There’s a freedom of expression in the art shown here that makes us feel free, too.

You’ll find archival political shows that harken back to the historical slice of time when feminism’s second wave, AIDS activism, and culture wars raged. These are mixed in with solo shows of emerging artists, alongside up-and-coming curators, who are called upon to create pure snapshots of the current moment we’re living in.

We come for visual art, performance, film, readings, and the clubhouse-like atmosphere. We come back to find our people. Every time we step through the door, we feel like we are beckoned into, and become part of, the conversation and the community.

PARTICIPANT INC. and its beloved founder, Lia Gangitano, have been championing art and artists since 2001. It originally stood at 95 Rivington Street before moving to Houston Street. Now you’ll find it on Elizabeth Street.

We’ve never visited without seeing Lia there. She’s woven into the neighborhood’s history, one that would not have been so textured and culturally rich without her. In 2008, New York Magazine named PARTICIPANT the Best Alternative Art Space. And Lia hasn’t stopped making waves since.