New York Sets to Expand for Visual, Auditory, and Live Performances in the Arts Sector
New Arts Institution, Canyon, to Open in 2026 on Manhattan's Lower East Side
A new nonprofit arts institution named Canyon is set to open its doors in 2026 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The institution, which will occupy a 42,000-square-foot vacant office building space, aims to become a major cultural hub for video, performance, sound, and immersive art experiences.
The project is led by philanthropist Robert Rosenkranz and Joe Thompson, the founding director of MASS MoCA. Canyon will house long-term partners including Electronic Arts Intermix, Rhizome, and the ARChive of Contemporary Music.
The venue will feature high-end technology galleries for audiovisual experiences, with over half its space dedicated to technologically equipped spaces. The general public will be charged $30 for admission, the same amount as the Museum of Modern Art, but access will be free for school groups and library cardholders.
Regarding exhibitions, while specific show details for 2026 are not yet fully published, Canyon has already announced collaborations and partnerships in the arts community, signalling its active role in the New York cultural scene. Early plans for exhibitions include a retrospective of Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda and an expanded iteration of "Worldbuilding," a group exhibition about video games and contemporary art organized by curator Hans Ulrich Obrist.
Hans Ulrich Obrist described Canyon as "not just a new institution-it's a new time zone for art." Sam Ozer, founder of the Mexico-based festival TONO and Canyon's newly appointed curator-at-large, said Canyon is designed to support the complexity of works involving performance, sound, and moving images.
The venue will also feature a 60-foot-tall area for performances and gatherings, as well as a dedicated 300-seat performance hall for concerts, screenings, lectures, and podcast tapings. Canyon is designed for works meant to be experienced over time rather than glimpsed in passing, with exhibitions rotating three times per year.
The institution emphasizes high-end technology to enhance visitor engagement with audiovisual artworks, and New Affiliates architecture firm has been tapped to redesign the venue. The design will not be a stark white box, but more akin to living rooms in terms of design, with Joe Thompson, the director, aiming to make staying with the work feel natural and enjoyable.
The initiative is being launched through what Rosenkranz calls "venture philanthropy," with his foundation covering the $10 million build-out and helping fund the estimated $10 million annual operating budget. Canyon will occupy a long-vacant commercial space at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge, positioning itself as a major new cultural venue that will contribute significantly to the neighborhood's cultural landscape.
- Canyon, the upcoming arts institution, will open in 2026 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, offering a new time zone for contemporary art.
- The institution aims to become a major cultural hub, focusing on video, performance, sound, and immersive art experiences.
- Electronic Arts Intermix, Rhizome, and the ARChive of Contemporary Music will be long-term partners at Canyon.
- High-end technology galleries will be featured for audiovisual experiences, with over half the space dedicated to technologically equipped spaces.
- Hans Ulrich Obrist, curator of Canyon, describes it as a new institution that's not just a space for art, but a new time zone for art.
- The venue will have a 60-foot-tall area for performances and gatherings, as well as a dedicated 300-seat performance hall for concerts, screenings, lectures, and podcast tapings.
- works involving performance, sound, and moving images will be supported by the institution, with Sam Ozer, founder of TONO, serving as the curator-at-large.
- The design of Canyon will be more akin to living rooms, making the experience of staying with the work feel natural and enjoyable.
- Canyon, with its significant contribution to the neighborhood's cultural landscape, will occupy a long-vacant commercial space at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge.
- Canyon's exhibitions will rotate three times per year, offering a unique blend of modern and contemporary art, cultural travel, music, and lifestyle experiences, making it a must-visit destination for food-and-drink enthusiasts, home-and-garden enthusiasts, fashion-and-beauty lovers, travelers, and entertainment seekers alike.
