122 Community Arts Center — an interdisciplinary hub for making and sharing art

New York, NY
52,000 square feet total
LEED Gold
2018
Type: Civic / Arts / Reuse
Theme: Transforming Old Buildings / Making & Learning

First built as a public school in 1894, then occupied by artists and social service groups in the 1970s, and today revived as the 122 Community Center, this historic East Village building has lived many lives. TenBerke’s iteration transformed the beloved structure to better serve the vibrant assemblage of tenants that have made P.S. 122 their home since the 70s: Mabou Mines, an avant-garde theatre company; the Alliance for Positive Change, a community health organization; Performance Space New York, a historic off-Broadway theatre; Painting Space 122, a gallery and artist residency program; and Movement Research, an experimental dance non-profit.

All these borders are breaking down in a deep way… Now, the questions that are being asked are about how the audience is engaged, how we can try to find connections with them, how we can find intimacy, and in doing so communicate better?
Vallejo Gantner, Artistic Director (former), Performance Space New York