The Women of Coenties Slip: Art, Connection, and Place
May 9 @ 3:30 pm
Step into the creative world of Coenties Slip for a special evening premiering three short On This Spot documentaries celebrating pioneering women artists Agnes Martin, Lenore Tawney, and Chryssa. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a group of artists transformed a quiet stretch of Lower Manhattan—right down the street from where the Seaport Museum is today—into a vibrant hub of experimentation and exchange. Renting former maritime warehouses for as little as $45 a month, they created an unlikely artistic community defined by sweeping waterfront views, rooftop gardens, and a shared spirit of independence. Though their lofts lacked modern comforts, they offered something far more powerful: space to create, connect, and redefine American art. This program brings that moment to life, tracing how Martin, Tawney, and Chryssa shaped and were shaped by this tight-knit, often queer creative community. Martin, the renowned proto-minimalist painter and “earth mother” of the group, lived in an un-permitted loft at 3–5 Coenties Slip. Nearby, Tawney worked in a light-filled loft at 27 South Street, its polished floors housing her looms and disciplined weaving practice. Chryssa, the Greek-born artist, never resided at the Slip, but was deeply embedded in its community. Together we will see how this tight knit group of artists shared an ethos drawing inspiration from nature, visionary writings, and each other. Their personal and artistic lives were inseparable from the place they inhabited, capturing the quiet, transformative power of Coenties Slip.
