Swiss Institute / Contemporary Art New York (SI) is an independent non-profit contemporary art organization founded in 1986. SI is located at 38 St Marks Pl, the corner of Second Avenue and St Marks Place in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan. History The Swiss Institute was founded in 1986 by a group of Swiss expats looking to highlight their country’s artists and culture. It originally had headquarters at the Swiss Townhouse at 35 West Sixty-seventh Street. It moved to the third floor of the New Era Building at 495 Broadway in Soho in 1994. From 2011 to 2016, the Swiss Institute was located in a space at 18 Wooster Street. During that time, it showed its inaugural design exhibition in 2014. In addition to hosting art exhibitions, the space became the venue for the fall/winter 2016 presentation of New York City-based accessories brand Mansur Gavriel, which enlisted a handful of collaborators to turn the space into a domestic scene. From 2016, the Swiss Institute staged shows at Swiss In Situ, a temporary space at 102 Franklin Street in TriBeCa. Since 2018, the Swiss Institute has been located in a space at 38 St. Marks Place and Second Avenue. Formerly a bank, the four-story building was re-designed by Selldorf Architects and includes exhibition space, an education and public programs floor, a library, and a usable rooftop. Exhibitions include visual and performing arts, design, and architecture, with public programs spanning a wide range of topics. SI also has weekly public programming and education classes. Admission is free. Printed Matter, Inc. St. Mark’s bookstore is located on the ground floor. Leadership Directors 1987–1992: Ziba Ardalan 1992–1997: Carin Kuoni 1997–2000: Annette Schindler 2000–2006: Marc-Olivier Wahler 2006–2013: Gianni Jetzer 2013–2021: Simon Castets 2022–present: Stefanie Hessler Chairs of the Board 2002–2016: Fabienne Abrecht 2016–present: Maja Hoffmann Awards At its annual fundraiser, the Swiss Institute has recognized several individuals with the SI Award, including the following: 1996: Bob Lutz 1997: Daniel Vasella 1998: Leonard Lauder 2000: Ulrich Bremi 2001: Adolf Ogi 2003: Michael Ringier 2005: Thomas W. Bechtler 2006: Uli Sigg 2007: Iwan Wirth 2008: Maja Hoffmann 2009: Bice Curiger 2010: Sam Keller 2011: Hans-Ulrich Obrist 2012: Eric Syz 2014: Ursula Hauser 2015: Dominique Lévy 2016: Eva Presenhuber 2017: Yves Béhar 2018: Herzog & de Meuron Since 2003, the Swiss Institute has also been honoring artists with the SI Artist Tributes: 2003: Christian Marclay 2004: Ugo