Edges of Ailey, opening at the Whitney Museum of American Art on September 25, is the first large-scale museum exhibition to celebrate the life, dances, influences, and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey (b. 1931, Rogers, TX; d. 1989, New York, NY). This dynamic showcase brings together visual art, live performance, music, a range of archival materials, and a multi-screen video installation drawn from recordings of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) repertory to explore the full range of Ailey’s personal and creative life. Described as an “extravganza” by curator Adrienne Edwards, Edges of Ailey is the must-see event of the NYC fall/winter season.
Presented at the Museum in multiple parts, Edges of Ailey consists of an immersive exhibition in the Museum’s 18,000 square-foot fifth-floor galleries that includes artworks by over 80 artists and never-before-seen archival materials. Artists featured in the exhibition include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Faith Ringgold, Alma Thomas, Jacob Lawrence, Kara Walker, and many others. A recent acquisition of Eldren Bailey and new works by Karon Davis, Jennifer Packer, Mickalene Thomas, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye will be presented for the first time in honor of this landmark exhibition.
An ambitious suite of live performances in the Museum’s third-floor theater includes the world-renowned AILEY organization in residence at the Whitney for one week each month, for a total of five weeks and over 90 performances. This gives visitors the rare opportunity to watch intimate live performances and to experience the full scope of Ailey’s world and legacy, including performances of classic and contemporary works by the two repertory companies—Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II—as well as showcases by students from The Ailey School, workshops and education programs from Ailey Arts In Education, and classes from Ailey Extension. When AILEY is not in residence at the Museum, a series of dance commissions by leading choreographers and their collaborators, including Ronald K. Brown, Trajal Harrell, Bill T. Jones, Ralph Lemon, with interdisciplinary artist Kevin Beasley, Sarah Michelson, Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born, Will Rawls, Matthew Rushing, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar will be showcased.
Edges of Ailey is an exhibition that introduces visitors, for the first time, to the man behind the AILEY legacy, capturing the full range of the artist’s passions, curiosities, and creativity. Through Ailey’s archives, across his dances, and within a continuum of other artists and performers spanning nearly two centuries, this exhibition provides a constellatory survey and unfolds as a tribute to the legendary artist’s life, career, and far-reaching impact on the histories of dance, Black creativity, and American culture. Edges of Ailey affirms the artist’s place as one of the most culturally and historically significant artistic figures in the United States and the world.
Edges of Ailey is organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art in collaboration with the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation. The exhibition is curated by Adrienne Edwards, Engell Speyer Family Senior Curator and Associate Director of Curatorial Programs, with Joshua Lubin-Levy, Curatorial Research Associate, and CJ Salapare, Curatorial Assistant.
Performance Overview
Edges of Ailey offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Museum visitors to enjoy live performances by AILEY and an esteemed group of choreographers and their collaborators in the Museum’s third-floor theater. More information about individual performances and ticketing will be available starting in September. Performance tickets include same-day access to the exhibition. Reservations required and space is limited.
September 25–29: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II
October 4–6: Trajal Harrell
October 10–12: Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE 1
November 1–3: Matthew Rushing
November 7–9: Yusha-Marie Sorzano
November 16: Bill T. Jones
November 20–24: Ailey II
December 13–15: Will Rawls
December 18–22: Ailey II
January 9–11: Sarah Michelson
January 17–19: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
January 22–26: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and The Ailey School
February 6–8: Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born
February 7: Ralph Lemon and Kevin Beasley
Tickets
Visitors can purchase timed tickets for the in-gallery exhibition Edges of Ailey, on view September 25, 2024–February 9, 2025. Member previews run from September 19 to 23. More ticketing information is available on whitney.org. Performance tickets for Edges of Ailey will be available starting in September. Performance tickets include same-day access to the exhibition and will be available on whitney.org. Theater space is limited.
Press Preview
The Whitney Museum will host a press preview on Wednesday, September 18, 10 am–2 pm. RSVP to the press preview by filling out this form. A photography and broadcast hour will start at 9 am and requires advance registration. Please reach out to pressoffice@whitney.org for any questions about the photography and broadcast hour. Remarks by Scott Rothkopf, the Alice Pratt Brown Director; AILEY; and Adrienne Edwards, Engell Speyer Family Senior Curator and Associate Director of Curatorial Programs, will begin at 10:30 am.
Catalogue
The accompanying exhibition catalogue, Edges of Ailey, is the first scholarly publication in 20 years to focus on the legendary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey. Published by the Whitney and distributed by Yale University Press, this catalogue is edited by Adrienne Edwards and includes essays by Horace D. Ballard, Harmony Bench and Kate Elswit, Aimee Meredith Cox, Thomas F. DeFrantz, Adrienne Edwards, Malik Gaines, Jasmine Johnson, Joshua Lubin-Levy, Uri McMillan, Ariel Osterweis, and J Wortham as well as a chronology by CJ Salapare. Conversations feature renowned Ailey company figures, contemporary artists, and scholars, including Kyle Abraham, Claire Bishop, Masazumi Chaya, Aimee Meredith Cox, Brenda Dixon-Gottschild, Jennifer Homans, Judith Jamison, Sylvia Waters, Jamila Wignot, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar are also included. The publication features more than 400 illustrations, including previously unpublished archival materials. Copies will be available for purchase in the Whitney shop, online, and at bookstores ($65.00).
Free Public Programs
A series of free in-person and virtual public programs will be offered in conjunction with Edges of Ailey. More information about these programs and how to register will be available on the Museum’s website as details are confirmed.
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