White Columns was founded in 1970 by a group of visionary artists in New York City. The organization – which was originally known as ‘112 Greene Street’ – would act as a catalyst for the subsequent ‘alternative art’ space movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Over the past six decades literally thousands of artists have benefitted from the early support of White Columns, many of whom would go on to change the course of art history.

Alice Aycock had her debut New York exhibition and several other formative exhibitions during the first decade of 112 Greene Street. Read on to learn how ‘112’ was influential to her development as an artist.

As we reflect on our past, we hope you consider making a donation of any size to ensure White Columns’ continued independence and commitment to supporting artists.

“I aspired to be a superstar right out of grad school, as all students do. Robert Morris, who had been my teacher, gave me a note and said, ‘Why don’t you go down to 112 Greene St. and talk to Gordon Matta-Clark?’

At the time, New York was in bad shape financially, which was good for artists, ironically, because I don’t think any of us had a sense that we were going to make art and get rich. What we thought was that we were going to come up with the next great idea. There was a real dialogue and discourse that was going on with the older generation, be it Bob Morris or Richard Serra or Robert Smithson, and the next generation, which I thought of as my generation.

It really was about ideas and experimentation, and it was taking place there at 112, as an alternate space where we could do anything we wanted and dialogue with each other. It was the place where I heard Philip Glass for the first time, and saw Susan Rothenberg’s early work. Looking at what people like George Trakas, Suzanne Harris and Tina Girouard were doing was extraordinarily important to my development as an artist.

We were not great geniuses or anything like that. We were just artists. The model might be: I have an idea, I have a thesis, and then I’m going to see if I can prove that thesis—or not! It was where we were trying to make what I called ‘a little tear in the universe.’”

– Alice Aycock

White Columns
91 Horatio Street
New York, NY 10014
Tuesday–Saturday, 11 AM – 6 PM
info@whitecolumns.org
Instagram