Organized by Lynn Gumpert and Ned Rifkin

"Preparation for New Work/New York was part of an ongoing process of viewing slides and seeing work both at the museum and in artists' studios. One criterion for this exhibition was that artists included may not be currently affiliated with a commercial gallery in New York. Despite this parameter, the abundance of challenging work by the vast number of unaffiliated artists living and working here made the choices quite difficult. Each artist was chosen independently of one another and, as a result, New Work/New York does not seek to illustrate a theme, define a current stylistic trend, or presume to invent a movement."

Lynn Gumpert and Ned Rifkin, New Work/New York catalogue.

“This was the museum’s fourth in the series of exhibitions designed to present new and provocative work by New York City artists who have not received significant public exposure.”

-From The New Museum Annual Report, 1981-1984