How to Visit Artists Space in New York

Artists Space is at 11 Cortlandt Alley, New York, and is open Wednesday through Saturday, Noon to 6pm. You can call 212 226 3970 with questions. Those are the essentials for planning a visit; the rest of this guide covers what to expect and how to prepare.

Location and Getting There

The address is 11 Cortlandt Alley, New York. Cortlandt Alley is a narrow street in Lower Manhattan, near the Canal Street area. Because it is an alley rather than a wide avenue, it can be easy to walk past — look for the building number rather than a large storefront sign.

If you are coming by subway, plan around the Canal Street stations and walk from there. Give yourself a few extra minutes to locate the alley entrance, especially on a first visit.

Hours and Contact

The hours are limited to four days a week and close at 6pm, so an early-afternoon arrival gives you the most time. Sunday through Tuesday, the space is closed.

What Artists Space Is

Artists Space is a nonprofit art organization with a 50-year history. Its name is deliberately open-ended — the organization describes it as distilling its mission "into its most essential form with a limitlessness which has proven supremely generative," and its early logo was a blank square with a large "A." The questions it poses — Which artists? What space? What public? — are central to how it frames its work.

In practice, this means the program is not a fixed collection you walk through like a museum. It presents exhibitions and performances that change over time. One documented example is Ei Arakawa's Social Muscle Rehab, an outdoor performance held on October 16, 2021, with tennis players hitting balls from an automatic ball feeder while a crowd watched.

Before You Go

• Check the current program. Because exhibitions and performances rotate, confirm what is on view during your visit window rather than assuming a permanent display.
• Call ahead if you have a specific question. The phone number above is the direct contact for the space.
• Plan around the 6pm close. With a Noon opening, the window is six hours, four days a week.
• Expect a nontraditional space. The alley location and performance-based programming mean the experience differs from a conventional gallery visit.

Common Pitfalls

• Arriving on a Monday or Tuesday. The space is closed those days, along with Sunday.
• Missing the alley. Cortlandt Alley is small; use the street number to guide you.
• Assuming a permanent collection. Programming changes, so what you see depends on when you go.