No Longer Empty

No Longer Empty

New York City

2009 to present

Founded in the dark months following the 2008 financial bust, No Longer Empty brings temporary art exhibitions and programming to vacant storefronts. Seeking partnerships with landlords (who recognize that bringing traffic into their spaces might help them find tenants), No Longer Empty creates temporary cultural and educational hubs. Artists, community members, educators, curators, and academics all come together at No Longer Empty events. The diversity of participants drives the program’s vibrancy. Each exhibition draws curatorial inspiration from active site research and response. Executive director Naomi Hersson-Ringskog has a background in urban planning and real estate, and hopes to use nomadic occupation to foster longer-term change by highlighting the potential for businesses in an area and supporting community development.

Community, Economy, Pleasure
15,000-120,000 – depending on size and scale of project
1-6 months
10
Problem - empty space is both a blight and an untapped resource
Solution - curate site-specific exhibitions and programming in vacant spaces