Franklin Furnace was born in 1976 when artist Martha Wilson opened her storefront living loft on Franklin Street in TriBeCa as a bookstore and archive for artists’ books. In a short span of time, the space became an incubator for visual and performing artists intent on exploring themes that many museums and commercial galleries were not willing to address.  Standing Slightly Outside chronicles the fifty-year history of Franklin Furnace–from its early days in downtown Manhattan as part of the burgeoning non-profit scene including A.I.R. Gallery, Printed Matter, Artists Space, The Clocktower, and The Kitchen, to its current incarnation as a hub for avant-garde art in both virtual and physical spaces. The first exhibition at Franklin Furnace, comprised of Claire Fergusson’s hand-sewn lined notebook and Karen Shaw’s alternative dictionaries, opened on Saturday April 3, 1976, at noon. In January 1977, Martine Aballéa is credited with the first performance, a dramatized reading from one of her artists’ books.  

As the political climate in the United States shifted to the right in the 1980s and 90s, Franklin Furnace became enmeshed in the so-called “Culture Wars” of the era. Conservative ideologues lobbied hard to restrict Federal funding for art deemed “blasphemous” or “obscene” by the religious right (e.g., Rev. Donald Wildmon, Morality Action Committee) and politicians like Senator Jesse Helms. Franklin Furnace became a target of these attacks–and also fought back and defended the rights of artists to free expression.

Standing Slightly Outside: Franklin Furnace, 1976–2026 is more than a historical exhibition; it is also timely, given the current political landscape of intolerance in which we find ourselves, in which rights that were once thought irrevocable are being eroded. It is because of this contemporary moment that spaces like Franklin Furnace feel more important than ever.

Standing Slightly Outside: Franklin Furnace, 1976–2026 is organized for the Brooklyn Academy of Music by Raul Zamudio and Patrick Pardo with assistance from Franklin Furnace. 

Exhibiting Artists: