Alanna Heiss (May 13, 1943–) is a pioneering force in the alternative space movement, transforming abandoned or unconventional buildings into hubs for experimental art, music, and performance. After studying music and spending formative years observing the London art scene, she moved to New York in the early 1970s determined to create platforms for radical artistic voices overlooked by traditional institutions and the commercial gallery system.
With Brendan Gill, she founded the Institute for Art and Urban Resources, repurposing unexpected sites—including the spaces beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, a sixth-floor walkup on Reade Street known as the Idea Warehouse, and the Clocktower in Lower Manhattan—into vibrant cultural venues. Collaborating with Queens Borough President Donald Manes, she began converting the enormous former Public School No. 1 into an ambitious exhibition and performance space.
P.S.1 opened in 1976 with the landmark exhibition Rooms, marking the emergence of one of the most influential alternative art institutions in the United States. It became formally affiliated with the Museum of Modern Art in 2000, with Heiss serving as director until her retirement in 2008.
