Martha Wilson (born December 18, 1947) is a pioneering figure in performance, artists’ books, and arts administration—described by New York Times critic Holland Cotter as one of “the half dozen most important people in art for downtown Manhattan.” After moving to New York in 1974, Wilson became deeply engaged with emerging forms such as artists’ books and performance art, recognizing that these practices were largely unsupported by traditional galleries and museums. In response, she founded Franklin Furnace in 1976, an influential alternative space that provided early New York exposure to artists including Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Tehching Hsieh, Eric Bogosian, Lorraine O’Grady, and Karen Finley.
Throughout her tenure as director of Franklin Furnace, Wilson maintained an active artistic practice. Her work—spanning photography, video, text, and her participation in Disband, the all-woman conceptual punk band—explores identity, gender, and female role-play through transformation, persona, and satire. A cornerstone of the downtown avant-garde, Wilson has shaped both the infrastructure and imagination of New York’s alternative art world.
