Creative Ozone
The Artists of Westbeth
This book can be opened with
A captivating portrait of Westbeth, the legendary artists’ residence that shaped contemporary art, activism, and New York’s cultural landscape for over fifty years
In 1970, the former Bell Telephone Laboratories in Manhattan was transformed into Westbeth, an ambitious experiment in urban renewal that became the world’s largest and longest-running artists’ residence. Home to generations of visual artists, musicians, writers, dancers, and performers, Westbeth has fostered creativity, community, and activism for over fifty years.
From legendary photographer Diane Arbus and conceptual artist Hans Haacke to avant-garde theater pioneers like Joe Chaikin and Gloria Miguel, Westbeth has nurtured some of the most influential voices in contemporary art. Beyond its creative legacy, the residence has been a hub for social change. Its artists played leading roles in the anti-Vietnam protests, LGBTQ+ rights movements, feminist art collectives, and urban preservation efforts.
In Creative Ozone, Miriam Chaiken offers a rare insider’s look at this extraordinary community. Drawing on intimate interviews with multiple generations of Westbeth residents, including those who grew up in the building as “feral children” immersed in art from birth, Chaiken captures the spirit of a place where creativity and activism are inseparable. She explores how Westbeth artists have weathered gentrification, economic upheavals, and major historical events, from 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy to the ongoing pandemic, revealing the resilience of this one-square-block artistic village. Blending vivid storytelling with cultural history, Creative Ozone is a tribute to the artists who shaped, and were shaped by, New York City.
Rich with character-driven narratives, this book will captivate art lovers, history buffs, and anyone fascinated by the creative life. Whether you’re drawn to the bohemian legends of Greenwich Village, the evolution of urban spaces, or the intersection of art and activism, Creative Ozone offers an unforgettable portrait of a community like no other.
Miriam Chaiken has documented a remarkable American social experiment, giving life to the artists of Westbeth. The book is striking, blending the anthropological tradition of thick description with sensitivity to the social significance of artists. She has combined personal connection, oral histories, and rigorous research to create a powerful story about a place and its people.—Jan English-Lueck, San Jose State University
Chaiken captures the feeling and spirit of growing up in Westbeth and the early years of the community in a resonant way. She leaves you wanting to hear more stories—from every resident and kid. Hopefully, Creative Ozone will catalyze more research and study of this uniquely urban and cultural experiment.—Nat Oppenheimer, Senior VP, TYLin
Chaiken has captured the spirit and soul of Westbeth and the artists who live there. Creative Ozone exquisitely tells the tale of an artistic experiment that has survived and flourished for over half a century.—George Cominskie, former President of Westbeth Artists Residents Council
Miriam Chaiken offers an insider’s look at one of the most unusual and audacious communities in America — Westbeth Artists Housing. Just as trailblazing visionaries reimagined a disused industrial complex as a home to emerging artists and arts spaces, the inspiringly creative individuals who found a home here reimagined what community, shared space, being an artist, and city life could mean. Creative Ozone provides unique perspectives on an experiment still going strong fifty five years later, and one from which we all can and should learn a thing or two.—Andrew Berman, Executive Director, Village Preservation
Lovingly researched and remarkably readable. Chaiken brings her estimable skills as a social anthropologist to document and illuminate the improbable, invaluable urban experiment that is Westbeth. I’m deeply grateful to her.—Josh Hamilton, actor and child of Westbeth
Creates a vibrant portrait of the community. . . An intimate cultural history.—Kirkus Reviews
Introduction | 1
1 Creative Ozone | 7
2 Becoming Westbeth | 35
3 You Say You Want a Revolution | 55
4 The Family Business | 81
5 Man, You Have Weird Neighbors | 100
6 Bye, Bye, Baby Buddha | 109
7 Disasters and Traumas | 128
8 The Village | 151
Acknowledgments | 167
Appendix: Cast of Characters | 169
Works Cited | 175
Index | 181
