SculptureCenter

SculptureCenter is a contemporary art museum that is located in Long Island City in the borough of Queens in New York City.

Facade of SculptureCenter, 2003.

Mission

Founded by artists in 1928, SculptureCenter is a not-for-profit arts institution dedicated to experimental and innovative developments in contemporary sculpture. SculptureCenter commissions new work and presents exhibits by emerging and established, national and international artists.

Background

SculptureCenter has been an active contributor to New York City’s cultural community since 1928. Originally founded as “The Clay Club” by Dorothea Denslow, SculptureCenter renamed itself in 1944 and in 1948 moved to a carriage house on East 69th Street in Manhattan. Here it established a ground floor gallery space dedicated solely to sculpture with workshops and studio space on the upper floors. Over the course of the next half-century, as the field of sculpture expanded and evolved, SculptureCenter’s exhibition and education programs have as well. In 2001, SculptureCenter purchased a former trolley repair shop in Long Island City, Queens, which was redesigned by artist and designer Maya Lin. SculptureCenter’s new facility opened to the public in December 2002, after completion of the first phase of building renovation.