Project Artaud is a, a non-profit, member-supported and managed organization providing live/work studios for artists and public theater and exhibiton space. It's been referred to as a cultural conundrum. The organization is a mystery. How it functions and why it survives, is the subject of major disputes among the cast of characters that keep it going. The ride has not always been smooth, but the place is still intact after over 37 years.
The Building that now houses Project Artaud was built as a tooling factory for the American Can Company in 1925. Over the years it served many purposes, including that of building airplane parts during WWII in the large space that would later become Theater Artaud. (pictured above.)
When the American Can Company abadoned the property, it was purchased by Pacific Pipe Company and remained empty for years, until it caught the eye of Joe Krysiak, an actor/diretor from Buffalo, New York with an interest in Antonine Artaud's Theatre of the Absurd. Joe took out a lease on the property and invited around 70 hippie artists to support his theater by paying 6 cents/square foot for raw warehouse space.
Joe founded Project Artaud as a nonprofit corporation in 1971. After a few months, Joe left, but the artists stayed, and purchased the property in 1972. There was no zoning or code to allow their live/work lifestyle so the spent many years under condemnation. They helped re-write the building codes and zoning laws and in 1989, full legal status was granted to Project Artaud. They survived the dot-com boom and bust, and the bumps that came with it.
Today Project Artaud includes over 70 artists in live/work studios who live and work and manage the project. We are comprised of visual artists, sculptors, writers, photographers, print makers, performing artists, computer wizards, filmmakers, media producers and promoters.
Public spaces - Project Artaud houses Traveling Jewish Theater, Theater of Yugen/Noh Space, and Project Artaud Theater.
Stories about Project Artaud's wild past abound. The truth is as varied as the memories of the people who lived it. Just ask more than one person, you'll never get the same story twice. Pick your favorite and run with it.
"As one of the first artists to take up residence, I decided to write a book about Artaud. In an effort to better understand how the project came to be, what motivated Joe to start it, and put us on the path we find ourselves on, I started searching for Joe. The first lead I found was Edward Summer, who granted me a long interview in which he educated me on the history of Theater in Buffalo and filled me in on Joe's theater career there. Details are on the Edward Summer page. I am still looking for Joseph Krysiak."
- Mari Eliza
Art Collections We are in the process of producing a library of posters and photographs of performers, artists, and others who have worked and exhibited at Project Artaud. See some of our collection.
Archives: We are putting together an archive of photos, flyers, posters, and memorabilia that represent the history of Project Artaud and the theater from it's inception. We are most interested in the whereabouts of originals and copies, so that we may keep track of them. We are starting this process now in order to build on it. The first exhibit in the series is planned for February 2007. If you have any vintage posters or other art pertaining to shows, please let us know and we will make arrangements to photograph and document your collections. You may contact mari @ abazaar.com
since 1970