Project for Empty Space (PES) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safe and equitable spaces for audiences and artists alike. PES is committed to cultivating discourse around important social issues through the catalytic lens of contemporary art. Its mission is to promote artists whose work is oriented around social impact; and to initiate conversations that engage issues of marginality, intersectionality, and cultural tolerance. PES is a dynamic institution that nurtures vital connections between Newark’s artists and its communities. It promotes equitability and empowerment while offering artists the resources they need to explore urgent social issues.
Project for Empty Space
1964
Philip Johnson commissioned Warhol to make a large-scale work for the exterior for his pavilion for the New York World’s Fair, along with other artists. Warhol’s provocative response, a multiple portrait of ‘Most Wanted Men’ was installed a few days before the opening but was deemed too inflammatory and contrary to the upbeat image of the World’s Fair and the work was taken down.