The Tank’s Fifth Anniversary!

At a time of rising real estate costs and venue closings, The Tank, a nonprofit home for the emerging and experimental arts in lower Manhattan, is proud to be celebrating its fifth anniversary – having survived three moves, a water main breakage, two robberies and an IRS audit. The Tank was founded in 2003 by nine managing partners and curators with an average age of 24. They were determined to provide a welcoming and affordable space for artists and activists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas, and in a location set squarely in the middle of Manhattan they quickly began presenting shows seven nights a week. In 2005 The Tank lost its original space due to commercial real estate development and relocated to a temporary space offered through the organization chashama. In January 2006 The Tank moved again and began its long-term residency with Collective: Unconscious, an artist cooperative and venue located in TriBeCa, where it currently resides. Now turning five, The Tank celebrates its survival in a city where venues dedicated to serving the emerging arts community are struggling to survive. In a time when countless other venues have opened and closed, The Tank has persevered despite the trials and tribulations of running a non-profit art space in New York, serving as an incubator and home for thousands of artists. So now we celebrate!

More info after the jump

Special Anniversary Events:

Tank Anniversary Party – Saturday, May 31, 2008; 9:30pm

Come celebrate five years with The Tank! $15 at the door gets you a one year Tank membership;

Members get in for free!

Symposium: “Diminishing Cultural Capital?: The Challenges Facing Independent Venues and Artists in Manhattan” –

Saturday, June 7, 2008; 2pm-6pm

A symposium presented by The Tank and Milano The New School For Management and Urban Policy, in cooperation with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer

***Location for this event ONLY: The New School @ Wolman Hall, 64 West 11th Street

Make Music New York – Saturday, June 21 2008; 4pm-7pm

Make Music New York is a one-day music festival spread across the five boroughs, where sidewalks, parks, community gardens, and more become impromptu musical stages, dance floors, and social meeting points. Thousands of amateur and professional musicians in every genre will perform and enjoy the first day of summer. Celebrate Make Music New York with The Tank on Church Street between Franklin and White with very special secret guests from throughout The Tank’s five year history. With a free after party to follow.