Drawing Center

The Drawing Center is a museum and nonprofit exhibition space located in Manhattan, New York City, dedicated solely to the exhibition of drawings. Established in 1977, it is the only nonprofit gallery in the United States focused exclusively on historical and contemporary drawings. The institution highlights drawing as a major art form, presenting the work of emerging artists, established masters, and under-recognized historical figures. It occupies a 19th-century cast-iron building in SoHo and has played a significant role in shaping the understanding and appreciation of works on paper.

Martha Beck, a former assistant curator of drawings at the Museum of Modern Art, founded the Drawing Center in 1977 with the mandate to express the quality and diversity of drawing as a major art form. The institution initially occupied a ground-floor warehouse space at 137 Greene Street in SoHo, attracting 125,000 visitors in its first year. In the late 1980s, it relocated to its present location at 35 Wooster Street. In 2005, the center was considered as a potential occupant of the World Trade Center site, and its leadership subsequently explored building a 60 million dollar museum at the South Street Seaport. By 2010, however, the institution abandoned relocation plans and opted to expand its existing Wooster Street home. Attendance fluctuated over the years, dropping to 35,000 visitors annually by 2011 before rebounding to 55,000 by 2018. Laura Hoptman, a former curator at the Museum of Modern Art, was named executive director in 2018.

The institution's scope encompasses both historical and contemporary works on paper. It actively seeks to present the diversity of drawing through exhibitions that range from old master works to contemporary pieces. Each year, the center organizes Selections exhibitions to feature emerging artists, alongside thematic shows of historical and contemporary drawing-based work. Following its 2012 expansion, the center launched a long-term initiative dedicated to Latin American drawing. Additionally, the Drawing Room, a separate space located across the street from the Main Gallery, is specifically dedicated to dynamic, drawing-based installations by emerging and under-recognized artists. The center also runs Open Sessions group exhibitions and offers extensive public programming, including film screenings, literary readings, artist talks, symposia, performances, and The Big Draw, an event featuring artist-led drawing activities for all ages.

While functioning primarily as a non-collecting exhibition space, the Drawing Center has mounted significant exhibitions of historical and contemporary drawings. Historical exhibitions have featured works by Giorgio Morandi, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Antonio Canova, Iannis Xenakis, and Frederick Kiesler. The institution has also showcased the work of modern and contemporary figures such as Eva Hesse, Guillermo Kuitca, Sean Scully, Leon Golub, Ree Morton, and Gerhard Richter. In 2011, the center presented Drawing and its Double, an exhibition of selections from the Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica featuring artists like Giorgio Ghisi and Salvator Rosa. Thematic group exhibitions, such as Drawn from Photography and Thread Lines, have further expanded the boundaries of what constitutes drawing by including artists like Andrea Bowers, Mirtha Dermisache, and Allen Ruppersberg.

The Drawing Center is situated on the ground floor of a 19th-century cast-iron-fronted building at 35 Wooster Street in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. After deciding against relocating to the South Street Seaport, the institution undertook a 10 million dollar renovation of its Wooster Street home in 2012. Designed by Claire Weisz of WXY Architecture & Urban Design, the project was supported by a 3 million dollar grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, one of its largest contributions toward a single construction project. The renovation expanded the museum to occupy two and a half floors, increasing its exhibition space by 50 percent.

The Drawing Center is located at 35 Wooster Street in Manhattan, New York City, United States. It operates as a nonprofit exhibition space and museum, welcoming 55,000 annual visitors as of 2018. The institution remains active in its present role, offering rotating exhibitions of historical and contemporary drawings, alongside public programs for adults and children. Its operational funding has been supplemented by major grants, including a portion of a 20 million dollar grant from the Carnegie Corporation in 2005, made possible by a donation from New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, which supported 406 New York City arts and social service institutions.