New York's New Edge

Contemporary Art, the High Line, and Urban Megaprojects on the Far West Side

Halle David, Tiso Elisabeth

The story of New York's west side no longer stars the Sharks and the Jets. Instead it's a story of urban transformation, cultural shifts, and an expanding contemporary art scene. The Chelsea Gallery District has become New York's most dominant neighborhood for contemporary art, and the streets of the west side are filled with gallery owners, art collectors, and tourists. Developments like the High Line, historical preservation projects like the Gansevoort Market, the Chelsea galleries, and plans for megaprojects like the Hudson Yards Development have redefined what is now being called the "Far West Side" of Manhattan. David Halle and Elisabeth Tiso offer a deep analysis of the transforming district in "New York's New Edge", and the result is a new understanding of how we perceive and interpret culture and the city in New York's gallery district. From individual interviews with gallery owners to the behind-the-scenes politics of preservation initiatives and megaprojects, the book provides an in-depth account of the developments, obstacles, successes, and failures of the area and the factors that have contributed to them.

About the Author

David Halleis professor of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles and director of UCLA in New York: Cities and Cultures, Summer Travel Program. He is also an adjunct professor at the City University of New York's Graduate Center and the author of "America's Working Man" and "Inside Culture", also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Elisabeth Tisois an art historian who has taught at Parsons, Fordham University, and UCLA in New York. She has published reviews and articles on contemporary art and architecture in "Art in American", "Art News Magazine", "Parole Gelees", and other academic publications.

Reviews

"'New York's New Edge' is an absolutely brilliant contribution to the sociology of art, urban sociology, and urbanism. This is one of the very best sociological texts that I have read in ages. I highly recommend it to all those who are interested in Manhattan's Far West Side transformations" – Alain Quemin, Universite Paris VIII

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