Alanna Heiss Announces Formation of Art International Radio

(April 30th, 2009 — New York, NY) Alanna Heiss, founder and longtime director of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center has established a new project: Art International Radio (AIR), a Web radio station and arts center operating out of the Clocktower Gallery in Lower Manhattan. The non-profit AIR, already streaming from its site at www.ARTonAIR.org, has obtained an agreement from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) to assume residency in the legendary gallery space. 

In addition to the radio project, and in consultation with DCA, the gallery spaces that were closed after September 11, 2001 will once again be available for artists’ projects, workshops, community events, and residencies for radio, media, and sound production and performance.  The Clocktower Gallery was highly regarded for nearly 30 years for its alternative exhibitions, performances, and artist studio program. AIR is planning a variety of opportunities for the public to once again visit and participate by invitation, appointment, or reservation.

Heiss, who left P.S.1 last December, is joined at AIR by a staff that includes several former P.S.1 employees who were previously involved in the museum’s radio station. Managing Director David Weinstein was Director of Public Programs at P.S.1 and led the curatorial team that assembled P.S.1’s summer Warm Up music series; Jeannie Hopper, a well-known radio personality and DJ at WBAI-FM, takes on the role of Station Manager; while Beatrice Johnson brings curatorial expertise from P.S.1 as AIR’s Program Manager. 

AIR has negotiated the transfer of the programs produced by P.S.1 and its former Web radio station WPS1.org (discontinued by the museum at the end of 2008). These shows, initiated by Linda Yablonski as founding Program Manager, represent thousands of hours of archival content, and provide a rich base of programming upon which the new entity will build. AIR engages a wide range of radio hosts, producers, and art world personalities who generate new content weekly. Listeners will find an increasing range of programs as the station establishes a news division, a radio theater initiative, international correspondents, live concert streamcasts, and an archive of copyright free downloads.

AIR will be a media arts center and production facility for radio and audio art projects, music recording, and development in a range of artistic disciplines. Projects include writing stations, studios for radio theater rehearsals and production, a vinyl and CD archive, exhibition, sound installation, and performance spaces, as well as space for the office and archive of the Film-Makers’ Cooperative. Artists Tony Oursler, Vito Acconci and Jon Kessler have been invited to create installations, and Carol Greene will curate the first performance evening. AIR’s Emerging Media Lab, run by StudioE9,  is developing innovative models to deliver content, including an iPhone application. The Web site, ARTonAIR.org, will be a model for streaming media, archiving, information, Web innovation, and audio art experimentation.

Finally, AIR is committed to engage and support the New York City and downtown arts communities through shared resources, hosting informational events such as conferences and discussions, collaborative productions, radio outreach, and promoting and documenting cultural projects, small and large, for a global audience.