Workspace: Woolworth Building
2003-2004
In Spring 2003 LMCC renewed its program of innovative site-oriented artist residencies by granting selected artists the unique opportunity to work high above Lower Manhattan on the 33rd floor of the historic Woolworth Building in space generously donated by The Witkoff Group. The tallest building in the world when it was completed in 1913, the Woolworth Building’s signature neo-Gothic spire still holds sway in downtown’s skyline, its delicate latticework accentuated by blocky profiles of surrounding skyscrapers.
A total of 28 artists over two six-month sessions were invited to work on projects that were inspired by the Woolworth Building in a raw, open-format commercial space converted by LMCC into artists’ studios. Like the World Views residency program in the World Trade Center, and the New Views residencies in the World Financial Center and DUMBO, Brooklyn, the new Workspace program encouraged an artistic, political, and theoretical consideration of location and context. Artists received 24/7 access to studio space (each studio was partitioned without a door and was about 200 square feet); a stipend of approximately $1,000; access to other LMCC services; and opportunities to present work to curators, critics, arts professionals, and the general public.
Each session of Workspace in The Woolworth Building culminated in Open Studios, during which artists shared the work made throughout their six-month residencies and, as in the World Trade Center, the general public was allowed rare access to a city landmark. The program continued LMCC’s mission to position artists in lower Manhattan, creating ties between the arts and business communities.
Participating Artists
November 2003 – March 2004
- Jn. Ulrick Desert
- Benj Gerdes
- Andrea Geyer
- Mariam Ghani
- Jeff Grant
- Patrick Jackson
- Claudia Joskowicz
- Angel Nevarez
- Frank Parga
- Katrin Sigurdardottir
- Shinique Amie Smith
- Bradley Wood
Special Projects
- Trebor Scholz
- Shelly Silver
April 2003 – October 2003
- A.J. Bocchino
- Megan Cump
- Cecilia Galiena
- Shin-il Kim
- George Kimmerling
- Catarina Leitao
- Mary Magsamen & Stephan Hillerbrand
- Conor McGrady
- Diane Meyer
- Matthew Northridge
- Karina Aguilera Skvirsky
- Dario Solman
Special Project
- Praxis (Delia Bajo & Brainard Carey)
Support
Space generously donated by The Witkoff Group
This program was made possible with support from:
- Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation
- Booth Ferris Foundation
- Jerome Foundation
- New York Mercantile Exchange Charitable Foundation
- Surdna Foundation
- Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
With public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.
LMCC is grateful to American Express and the many individuals around the country who participated in the charity auction of photographs by Annie Leibovitz featured in the Rewarding Lives exhibit, which helped raise major funding for this program.
