our mission

FiveMyles was founded and incorporated as a non-profit in 1999. Its mission was to advance public interest in innovative experimental work; to identify and exhibit the work of under-represented artists, and to engage the local community through participation in the Arts. Our space was entirely wheel chair accessible.

EXHIBITIONS AND PERFORMANCES

FiveMyles focused on giving emerging, merited, and well-established artists the opportunity to present their work in solo and group exhibitions. Place, personal vision, politics, identity and experimentation were an integral part of programming at FiveMyles.

Exhibitions were often inspired by art rooted in non-Western cultures and have included photography and video from East Africa and contemporary Native and Caribbean art.

The New York Times, Village Voice, Artnews, Art in America, and other press have given FiveMyles laudatory reviews for its exhibitions, and in 2000 FiveMyles received an OBIE award for "presenting magnificent contemporary performance work." 

PROGRAMS

Exhibition Program

FiveMyles presented eight to ten exhibitions a year, each of them four to five weeks long. Often curated by outside curators, the exhibitions showcased the work of emerging artists along with the work of older, well-established artists. Both solo shows and group exhibitions were part of FiveMyles' programming.

Click here to view past programs.

SpaceProgram

This program offered our venue, free of charge, to young emerging artists, musicians and performers for unfunded short-term events and exhibitions, in-between our scheduled exhibition programming and during the summer months, when the gallery would otherwise be empty. Events often took place on the wide sidewalk in front of FiveMyles.

The on-going demand for the use of the FiveMyles gallery space through this program was indicative of the need young artists had to expose their work to the public, and of the difficulty of attaining it in New York. Making space available helped the arts retain the vitality and energy of a young generation of artists, and encouraged innovation and experimentation. Proposals were reviewed by our artistic committee. We favored projects that were risk-taking, that required minimal setup, and that made an effort to connect with the audience. 

In March 2020, we started our SpaceProgram online, titled “A few minutes with…”, short videos by FiveMyles artists. To stay in touch during these confined times, our artists filmed short snippets of their current lives and shared their work-in-progress.

Click here to view past programs.
Click here to view past SpaceProgram brochures.

Plus/Space

The Plus/Space was a 100 sq. ft refurbished garage that presented one-month exhibitions and installations, or shorter-term projects that required a more intimate space. The program usually ranconcurrently with the Exhibition Program. Work in the Plus/Space could be seen 24/7 through its sidewalk-facing gate, which could be opened for receptions, performances and events.

fivemyles curates

Started in 2023, FiveMyles Curates is our newest form of programming. We established this program as a way to continue FiveMyles outside of our gallery space at 558 St Johns Place. We receive a high number of requests for studio visits, and see important work by under-represented artists, and FiveMyles Curates allows us to keep working with artists, proposing and curating exhibitions in partnership with other galleries and art venues. Two FiveMyles Curates exhibitions have taken place in 2023, at Soapbox Gallery in Brooklyn and at Margarete Roeder Gallery in Soho.

Interlude Project

The Interlude Project featured rotating exhibitions on the 500 ft.-long construction wall adjacent to FiveMyles, on St. Johns Place. The exhibited art was laminated work on paper, and up to 8 different artists could be presented at one time. This public art project was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation and of Philippe Chambon.
This program ended in March 2017, as the construction came close to completion and the wall was constantly being moved and taken down.

Click here to view all past Interlude Project exhibitions.
And click here for more images of past Interlude Projects.

Click here to view FiveMyles’ Instagram