About The Kitchen Archive
The Archive Project is an ongoing initiative to
preserve and modernize The Kitchen's extensive archival collection of historic
audio and videotapes, dating back to 1972. It contains early and/or seminal
work by some of today’s most influential artists including John Cage,
Laurie Anderson, Lucinda Childs, Bill T. Jones, Philip Glass, Christian
Marclay, Robert Longo, Pauline Oliveros, Meredith Monk, David Byrne and The
Talking Heads, among many others.
In the short term, The Kitchen's goal is to catalogue the collection and restore tapes that are most at risk of deterioration, as well as those of performances that will clearly be of interest to the field. The long-term goal is to create a working archive for experimental art - to keep history alive; promote performance as a field with a history and clear pattern of development; and provide interesting, integrated ways in which artists and audiences can learn about the work of their peers and predecessors.
As The Kitchen integrates archival material into its current programming and works towards making archival materials accessible on the internet, it is creating a greater context for experimental and collaborative performance vis-à-vis traditional work and other performing art disciplines. This is important to the development of both contemporary artists and audiences, and will position the archive as a useful tool and vital programming model for other presenters and performance companies.
Spearheaded by Advisory Board member and former Kitchen Archivist, Stephen Vitiello, we have already digitally remastered over 500 of The Kitchen's approximately 3,600 videotapes dating back to the early 1970s as well as over 500 audio tapes, for which we received special funds from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to remaster and create a set of archival CD releases. The audio project has already received support from such artists as Philip Glass, Pauline Oliveros, Sonic Youth, Charlemagne Palestine, and Frederic Rzewski to remaster their early works. There are currently four CDs available: New Music,New York
The Archive Project is an urgent and essential undertaking that will safeguard an important legacy for the performing arts field.
The Kitchen wishes to thank the following donors for their generous support of the Archive Project:
Individuals
Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros; Anonymous; Ron and Frayda Feldman; David & Gisela Gamper; Laurel Gonsalves; Murray Hidary; Susan G. Jacoby; Ekachai Jiaravanont; Maurice Kanbar; Arthur and Susan Kaufman; Pamela and Richard Kramlich; Frances Lewis; Joan W. Lindley; Leila Hadley Luce; Melissa Meyer and Peter Mensch; George A. Roche; Ruth and Jerome Siegel; Leila and Melville Straus; Mark Swartz; Thea Westreich and Ethan Wagner; Claire Whittaker; Franny Heller Zorn and Richard Zorn
Foundations & Government Agencies
The Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust; The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, Inc.; The GRAMMY Foundation ®; The Henry Luce Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency; NIPAD/Dance USA; The Orentreich Family Foundation; The Overbrook Foundation; The May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation; The Zephyr Trust
In the short term, The Kitchen's goal is to catalogue the collection and restore tapes that are most at risk of deterioration, as well as those of performances that will clearly be of interest to the field. The long-term goal is to create a working archive for experimental art - to keep history alive; promote performance as a field with a history and clear pattern of development; and provide interesting, integrated ways in which artists and audiences can learn about the work of their peers and predecessors.
As The Kitchen integrates archival material into its current programming and works towards making archival materials accessible on the internet, it is creating a greater context for experimental and collaborative performance vis-à-vis traditional work and other performing art disciplines. This is important to the development of both contemporary artists and audiences, and will position the archive as a useful tool and vital programming model for other presenters and performance companies.
Spearheaded by Advisory Board member and former Kitchen Archivist, Stephen Vitiello, we have already digitally remastered over 500 of The Kitchen's approximately 3,600 videotapes dating back to the early 1970s as well as over 500 audio tapes, for which we received special funds from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to remaster and create a set of archival CD releases. The audio project has already received support from such artists as Philip Glass, Pauline Oliveros, Sonic Youth, Charlemagne Palestine, and Frederic Rzewski to remaster their early works. There are currently four CDs available: New Music,
The Archive Project is an urgent and essential undertaking that will safeguard an important legacy for the performing arts field.
The Kitchen wishes to thank the following donors for their generous support of the Archive Project:
Individuals
Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros; Anonymous; Ron and Frayda Feldman; David & Gisela Gamper; Laurel Gonsalves; Murray Hidary; Susan G. Jacoby; Ekachai Jiaravanont; Maurice Kanbar; Arthur and Susan Kaufman; Pamela and Richard Kramlich; Frances Lewis; Joan W. Lindley; Leila Hadley Luce; Melissa Meyer and Peter Mensch; George A. Roche; Ruth and Jerome Siegel; Leila and Melville Straus; Mark Swartz; Thea Westreich and Ethan Wagner; Claire Whittaker; Franny Heller Zorn and Richard Zorn
Foundations & Government Agencies
The Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust; The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, Inc.; The GRAMMY Foundation ®; The Henry Luce Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency; NIPAD/Dance USA; The Orentreich Family Foundation; The Overbrook Foundation; The May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation; The Zephyr Trust
