Art in General was a non-profit contemporary art exhibition space known for its vibrant and ground-breaking projects as a formidable and longstanding New York City alternative space, focused on giving meaningful resources and opportunities to artists early on in their careers. Founded in 1981 by artists Martin Weinstein and Teresa Liszka and originally located in the General Hardware building in New York City — hence the organization's name, Art in General — the institution produced and presented distinctive programs and exhibitions featuring new work by local and international artists. Since its first exhibition in 1982, Art in General provided spaces for artists to display unconventional work and exchange ideas with their peers for almost 40 years, making it one of the longest-standing artist-founded non-profit artist organizations in New York City. Art in General organized exhibitions; commissions new art projects; hosted national and international artist residency programs; and facilitated regular free public programs with renowned artists, critics and curators. More than 2,000 artists exhibited their work at Art in General in a wide range of disciplines—painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, installation art, audio, video art, performance art and new media art. Programs The New Commissions Program, Art in General’s central focus, flourished since its launch in 2005. The program was created in response to artists’ need for support to create major new projects that would significantly advance their practice. Art in General commissioned new works, either through an open call, or through direct invitation. Art in General provided commissioned artists with both space and a budget for developing their project, as well as an honorarium. Initially designed for New York based artists, in 2012 this program expanded to include projects by international artists. Art in General established the Eastern European Residency Exchange (EERE) in 2001, with the goal of supporting critical dialogue, the presentation of new work, and a greater understanding of diverse cultures. This program took the form of a two-way artist residency until 2013, when it expanded to encompass institutional co-commissioning and other forms of exchange. Art in General’s partner institutions have included: kim?' Contemporary Art Centre in Riga, Latvia; The Gardens in Vilnius, Lithuania; Pavilion Unicredit in Bucharest, Romania; Croatian Association of Artists (HDLU) in Zagreb, Croatia; The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rijeka, Croatia; Centre for Contemporary Arts FUTURA in Prague, Czech Republic; The Trafó House of Contemporary Arts in Budapest, Hungary; Center For Contemporary Arts