“With the decline of The East Village art scene and the closing of almost all the clubs and discos that were often linked to galleries, few spaces area available for performances of experimental live art. By providing a temporary venue for Nitelife, The New Museum functioned as a genuine alternative. Each evening focused on a different theme and presented scheduled and unscheduled performers and events. The variety of events included puppetry, monologue, stand-up, song and dance, music, and new theater—the newest and most experimental ‘live art.’”

-From The New Museum Annual Report, 1988