News from our neighbors: The Kitchen prepares for 40!

Posted August 17, 2011 at 5:27 pm

This is the year for milestones in New York’s downtown theatre scene. As La MaMa prepares for it’s 50th anniversary, other downtown arts organizations are celebrating auspicious anniversaries as well. HERE arts center is heading into it’s 35th season, and downtown interdisciplinary arts staple, The Kitchen, is going into its 40th year, with a number of celebrations and special performances planned for late this summer.

We spoke with executive director Debra Singer about the history of the organization and its future. Founded as an artists collective in 1971, Singer said that The Kitchen has always believed in trusting the artist and focusing on the process of making art, as opposed to just the end product. Although it started with a focus on video and experimental composition, the organization has expanded and evolved into an interdisciplinary hub for artists from every form. Their all-inclusive center includes video, music, performance, film and literature.

“The Kitchen was originally implemented a for “video image that morphed into something else. The narrow mission expanded into other art forms,” Singer said.

Over the years, The Kitchen has assembled an impressive list of alumni who have produced and performed at the organization, including Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno, Bill T. Jones and even the rock band The Talking Heads.

Heading into its fourth decade, The Kitchen is continuing to look for new ways of bringing the arts together in interdisciplinary collaborations, and finding new forms of expression.

For now, though, it’s time to celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments of four decades of producing innovative performing arts.

To get a great overview of The Kitchen’s extraordinary work, you can attend “The View from a Volcano:The Kitchen’s Soho Years, 1971-85″ an installation that examines the early years of the organization featuring works from former alumni. The exhibition runs through the 27th of August at their space at 512 West 19th Street.

Then in September, you can join The Kitchen again for a free Neighborhood Street fair to celebrate their 40th anniversary on September 17th from 11am until 4pm.

For more information visit http://www.thekitchen.org/.