In With The OLD

In with the Old: (Nearly) Six Years of Project Art Distribution features more than 400 works by over 200 artists from the first years of P.A.D. (Project Art Distribution), an artist-run platform that stages single-day exhibitions on the sidewalk in SoHo, New York. Bearing semblance to a street vendor, P.A.D.'s mission is to distribute and sell work for under $75 to make contemporary art more accessible. The spontaneous, ephemeral nature of the project invites collaboration and outside curators. The time spent on the street, out in the open, and with the public creates a sense of community between participating artists and facilitates impromptu dialogue with strangers.

Moving from the bustling streets of SoHo to the contemplative environ of St. John's University's Yeh Art Gallery, In with the Old recreates the ephemeral, everyday feeling of a flea market or garage sale. Among the scores of sculptures, prints, paintings, and other art objects on display, the exhibition includes artist-made zines and books contributed by Wendy’s Subway, Primary Information, F Magazine, Not Nothing, prompt:, and Cassandra Press, as well as the "pad column," a blue-moving-blanket shrouded sculptural sign that is repurposed from previous exhibitions. Contributing artists include B. Wurtz, Andrea Zittel, and Ilana Harris-Babou, among many others. For a complete list of artists click here. 

In with the Old and the project of P.A.D. become a means to challenge the conventions of art's display, fuzzing the sense of preciousness created by museums and white cube galleries. At a moment when space and real estate have never been more expensive or inaccessible, P.A.D. celebrates the do-it-yourself, the affordable, and the democratic.

In with the Old: (Nearly) Six Years of Project Art Distribution is curated by Emily Janowick and Sophia Ma, with the support of Owen Duffy, Director, Yeh Art Gallery.