John Giorno's Previous Residence Transformed into One of New York's Most Engaging Alternative Art Hubs
Anthony Huberman, the new executive artistic director of Giorno Poetry Systems, is leading the organization in a mission to expand and sustain the legacy of John Giorno. Under his leadership, the organization is pushing the boundaries of poetry as an interdisciplinary art form, integrating it with visual art, sound performance, and political engagement.
Giorno Poetry Systems remains committed to John Giorno's pioneering spirit in performance poetry and spoken word. The organization is actively promoting the cross-pollination of poetry with music, dance, and visual media in contemporary arts contexts. This aligns with Giorno's original vision of breaking poetry off the printed page and embedding it within broader cultural and social dialogues.
Recent events at The Bunker, a 19th-century YMCA building on the Bowery that was home to both William S. Burroughs and John Giorno, include Elizabeth Peyton presenting a concert, Leidy Churchman leading a meditation in total darkness, and Nick Mauss talking with Emmelyn Butterfield-Rosen. Upcoming events include artist Niloufar Emamifar convening with sociologist Asef Bayat and Dodie Bellamy reading from a forthcoming book.
Giorno Poetry Systems, a nonprofit organization established in 1974, is also revitalizing its roots as a collaborative enterprise among artists working on the margins. Huberman's premise is to foster a sense of community between artists in the town.
Giorno Poetry Systems has recently digitized the label's first 13 releases and made them available on streaming services for the first time. GPS Records, a label started by Giorno in 1972, releases avant-garde music and spoken-word work by luminaries such as Allen Ginsberg, John Cage, and Patti Smith. The label plans to continue this tradition with new artist-curated releases.
The Bunker houses The Bookcase, an artist-curated shop featuring books and records from artists like Kim Gordon, Philip Glass, and Anne Waldman. The venue is open for free visitation on Tuesday evenings and is used for ticketed events.
In honour of Giorno's activism for AIDS awareness, LGBTQ+ rights, and anti-war efforts, the organization continues to embrace these themes in its artistic programming. Huberman also hopes to resurrect a grant-giving program that Giorno started during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.
Giorno Poetry Systems is expanding Dial-a-Poem with international editions in France, Mexico, and soon Brazil. This initiative aims to bring poetry into new spaces and audiences through multimedia and collaborative artistic projects.
In sum, Giorno Poetry Systems under Anthony Huberman is currently focused on championing interdisciplinary poetry as a vibrant, socially engaged art form. The organization is maintaining John Giorno’s experimental legacy and fostering contemporary artistic collaborations that amplify poetry’s cultural reach beyond traditional boundaries.
- The contemporary art world is witnessing a resurgence of Giorno Poetry Systems, an organization that is pushing the boundaries of poetry by integrating it with other art forms, under the leadership of Anthony Huberman.
- In line with John Giorno's original vision, Giorno Poetry Systems is promoting cross-pollination of poetry with music, dance, and visual media, advocating for it in contemporary art contexts.
- As part of its mission to expand poetry's cultural reach, Giorno Poetry Systems is curating artist-led projects, such as the revitalized GPS Records label, and The Bunker's artist-curated shop, The Bookcase, offering books and records from renowned artists.
