In the early 1980s PS1 put fashion in a former public school alongside sound, performance, poetry and film, and this show rebuilds four of those installations: Julio, Homer Layne's Charles James collection, Willi Smith and Betsey Johnson. Notes, correspondence, photographs and ephemera fill in Di Russo's argument that clothes make you feel things. If you want a museum morning that costs nothing, go to Queens.
What to expect
Partial reconstructions of the original installations sit alongside vitrines of archival notes, correspondence, photographs and video from the PS1 files. The galleries are the school's old classrooms, with high windows and worn floors, which suits the improvised feel of the source material. It is organized for the museum's 50th anniversary, so expect institutional history throughout.
Good to know
- Take the 7 to Courthouse Square, or the E/M/G to Court Square in Long Island City.
- Admission to MoMA PS1 is free for everyone, so there is no ticket to book.
- The building is a converted public school — expect stairs between some galleries, with an elevator available.
- Pair it with Masao Gozu: Windows and Bars, which opens the same day in the building.
- The courtyard carries Precious Okoyomon's commission and is worth a look on the way out.
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Common questions
Is MoMA PS1 really free?
Yes — the museum lists free admission for all at its Long Island City building.
Whose installations are reconstructed?
Julio, Homer Layne with Charles James, Willi Smith and Betsey Johnson, in partial reconstructions.
Where does the material come from?
Notes, correspondence, photographs and ephemera drawn largely from the MoMA PS1 archives.
More this weekend
