The A.I.R. Gallery

On September 16th, 1972, the first all-artist, non-profit art gallery strictly for female artists was opened in the SoHo (South of Houston St.) section of New York City. The gallery was opened by Barbara Zucker and Susan Williams in hopes to push feminism into the spotlight of the New York arts scene, which was dominated by males. This gallery came to be called the A.I.R. Gallery, A.I.R. standing for, "Artists in Residence", referencing the Artist in Residence certification artists needed to live in commercial spaces in SoHo. Each artist who's work is presented in the A.I.R. gallery has to pay membership fees, which in turn gives them partial ownership of the gallery and the freedom to express their art in exhibits however they want to. This freedom isn't given at other exhibits, because usually, the artist is subjected to the owner's view on how his/her work is exhibited.

                                                                 

"Drive By"

Susan Bee

2009

http://www.airgallery.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.page&pagename=History&pageid=147