Ten Downtown / Ten Years

Ten Downtown was formed in 1968 when ten established artists decided to form a group and invite the public into their living/working spaces to view their art. For the next nine years, 90 other artists participated in this event, each group of ten selecting the succeeding group.

This exhibition included reproductions of works that appeared in Ten Downtown, slides of current work, photographs of the artists in their studios, and biographical materials as well as varying responses to the event from critics, the art world, the public, and the artists who participated. This installation followed an exhibition of current works by the artists of Ten Downtown at P.S. 1 in Long Island City, New York.

On November 5, 12, and 19, Myth 2: Cloth Piece / Women Bound and Unbound, a multi-media presentation by Alida Walsh, was presented. Cloth Piece, the second in a “series of video-tapes, celebrated the natural potency of the female psyche, through which Woman, in her character as a shaman, sibyl, priestess, and wise woman, has influenced the world.”

On November 10, Carter Ratcliff moderated a panel discussion, Alternate Spaces: Their Growing Significance within the Art Community. The panelists included Bernard Aptekar, Peter Frank, Leon Golub, Lynne Mato, and Vernita Nemek.

Excerpted from Brentano, R., & Savitt, M. (1981). 112 Workshop, 112 Greene Street: History, artists & artworks. New York: New York University Press.