The Shed Announces Opening Date of April 5, 2019, and Four Additional Opening Season Commissions

The Shed Announces Opening Date of April 5, 2019, and Four Additional Opening Season Commissions
The Shed Names Its Innovative Home The Bloomberg Building and Two of Its Major Spaces The Tisch Skylights and The Tisch Lab  

The Shed as seen from the High Line, December 2018. Photo: Brett Beyer.

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NEW YORK, January 9, 2019—Alex Poots, Artistic Director and CEO of The Shed, announced today that the new nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to commissioning, developing, and presenting original works of art, across all disciplines, for all audiences, will launch its opening season on April 5, 2019. New York City’s new arts center, designed for 21st-century artists and audiences, will present world premiere works in the performing arts, visual arts, and popular culture in its innovative, movable building when it opens its doors to the public on Manhattan’s west side. Poots also announced the honorary naming of The Shed’s building and two of its major spaces in recognition of visionary supporters of the project, four additional artistic commissions for the first half of the opening season, and information about operating hours and tickets.

“We have built a home where established and emerging artists working in all disciplines can create new work in ways that we cannot even imagine,” said Poots. “Beginning on April 5, 2019, The Shed’s community of neighbors, New Yorkers, and visitors from around the world will come together to experience the widest range of art forms in spaces that can accommodate artists’ most inventive and ambitious ideas.”

In recognition of the transformative vision and leadership of Michael R. Bloomberg, The Shed’s building, located on West 30th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues, has been named The Bloomberg Building. Chairman of The Shed’s Board of Directors Daniel L. Doctoroff said, “Nearly 15 years ago, Mayor Mike Bloomberg had the vision to embark on a complete transformation of Manhattan’s west side, and he had the foresight to know the Hudson Yards area needed a cultural anchor to ensure a vibrant and accessible future. The Shed is key to that vision, opening this April with an inaugural season that celebrates and showcases local and international creativity across all disciplines. In honor of Mike Bloomberg’s extraordinary leadership in nurturing the project, The Shed’s Board of Directors is proud to name our remarkable home The Bloomberg Building.”

The Shed also announced a gift of $27.5 million from Jonathan M. Tisch, Vice Chairman of its Board of Directors, and his wife, Lizzie Tisch. Their generous gift supports the building’s construction and includes a $10 million challenge grant to a newly formed Commissioning Fund, an initiative to support the creation of new work at The Shed. In their honor, two major spaces on the building’s top level—a 9,500-square-foot skylit event and artist rehearsal space, and a lab for artistic development and experimentation—have been named The Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Skylights and The Tisch Lab.

“Lizzie and I are proud to support the construction of this exceptional building, while also providing Alex and his outstanding team the resources necessary to commission artists from around the world to create the most ambitious and risk-taking work possible,” said Jonathan Tisch. “He has put together a spectacular program, and our intention is to challenge others to join us to support an effort that is not only worthwhile but tremendously exciting and important for New York City and beyond.”

“I am awestruck by the generosity and commitment of the Tisches,” added Doctoroff. “Not only are they preeminent philanthropists but, most importantly, their forward-thinking leadership seeks to imagine a cultural institution that brings wide-ranging audiences and creative voices together under one roof.”

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