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SculptureCenter continues to break the mold. Founded as The Clay Club in Brooklyn in 1928, the nonprofit changed its name and moved to a carriage house on West 8th Street in Manhattan in 1944. Four years later, it relocated to another carriage house on East 69th Street. In 2001, the arts institution purchased a former Long Island City trolley repair shop, which was then renovated by Maya Lin, the landscape artist who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.

Recently, ScuptureCenter underwent another renovation and it now boasts a new 2,000 square foot, one-story entrance lobby with bookshop, coatroom, seating area, and restrooms; 6,500 square feet of flexible interior exhibition space; an elevator and stairway to the lower level galleries; and a 1,500-square-foot, enclosed courtyard for outdoor exhibitions and events.

Now it’s time to celebrate with a special, day-long event and a four-month exhibition. More information and photos are after the jump page.

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On October 2nd, SculptureCenter will unveil Puddle, Pothole, Portal. Co-curated by Ruba Katrib and Camille Henrot, this group exhibition explores the coexistence of disparate elements within shared spaces with works that transcend the categories that separate drawing from sculpture, the human from the nonhuman, and the animated from the static.

One contributor, Camille Blatrix, will display a singing mailbox that waits for an important letter to arrive, and once it does, the viewer has to find the key to read it. Another artist, Allison Katz, will show a site-specific painting incorporating the architecture of the exhibition space. Meanwhile, Chadwick Rantanen will tempt gravity through a series of suspended objects, and Marlie Mul will superimpose images of band-aids onto the surrounding environment. The exhibition will also present Japanese sculpture Keiichi Tanaami for the first time in the United States and show kaleidoscopic drawings by Saul Steinberg on his centennial anniversary.

On October 5th, SculptureCenter will host an Opening Reception and Community Day. At noon, elected officials will join the Long Island City Music Academy Court Square Youth Choir in a ribbon-cutting and official co-naming of Purves Street as “Sculpture Street.” Then, visitors will be able to enjoy three hours of exhibition tours, nail art by Vanity Projects, a photo booth by LAZY MOM (artists Josie Keefe and Phyllis Ma), a comic book-making contest judged by artists Paul DeMuro and Meghan Turbitt, art-making activities with Alex Schmidt (aka Body Positive), face painting, music, food from local vendors, and beverages from Rockaway Brewery Co., all in space donated by NestSeekers International.

From 3 pm to 5 pm, DJ Lemonade will perform in the courtyard.

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Details: Puddle, Pothole, Portal, SculptureCenter, 44-19 Purves Street, Long Island City, show runs from October 2nd, 2014 to January 5, 2015, a $5 suggested donation, $3 for students. Gallery hours are Thursday through Monday, 11 am to 6 pm. The venue is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Bonus details: Opening reception on Sunday, October 5, from noon to 5 pm. Admission fees will be waived.

Photos: SculptureCenter


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