Pick Up Performance Co. (PUPC) is a development, production, and presenting organization. Originally founded by choreographer/director David Gordon (1936-2022), in 1992 PUPC expanded its artistic leadership to support the work of writer/director Ain Gordon, who now helms the company.
For more than forty-five years, PUPC has facilitated significant performance works via multi-year production/development models in partnership with leading performance venues, community organizations, and universities including BAM Next Wave, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Baryshnikov Arts, 651 Arts (all NY); UCLA Center for the Art of Performance, William Way LGBT Community Center (PA), the Mark Taper Forum (CA), International Festival of Arts & Ideas (CT), National Performance Network, and Williams College (MA), to cite a few.
In 2022, in recognition of its familial artistic roots, PUPC piloted a “friends & family” initiative to support the individual projects of artists who have previously collaborated with Ain or David Gordon. PUPC is partnering on projects with choreographer/writer Emily Coates and performance/visual artist John Kelly.
As an outgrowth of “friends and family,” PUPC has launched a multi-artist multi-year project creating then managing teams to facilitate the individual archives of eleven LGBTQ+ artists who collectively mark seminal chapters in the last forty-plus years of New York’s alternative dance/performance scene. The goal is to assist the artists in preparing their archives for a permanent home and to find a way to make each of these archives available to the public. The artists are Five Lesbian Brothers, Ain Gordon, John Kelly, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Richard Move, Lola Pashalinski, Carmelita Tropicana
An intro to the project can be seen at an exhibition in the BAM Harvey Rudin Gallery until Jan 30, 2024.
For more information: lgbtqartistsarchive.org
For more info about Ain's work:
Link to David's ARCHIVEOGRAPHY:
CURRENT PROJECTS
Ain Gordon in collaboration with Josh Quillen/Relics And Their Humans
Arizona Arts Live (AZ) Fall 2024
LGBTQ+ Artists Archive Project
BAM Harvey Theatre, Rudin Gallery Exhibition February 4 - June 30, 2024
LA MAMA ETC Coffeehouse Chronicles: #174: Lola Pashalinski Mar 30, 2024
Emily Coates The Scattering (working title) – directed by Ain Gordon
Quick Center (CT) Developmental Residency March 1-8, 2024
Developmental Residencies TBA
Works & Process at the Guggenheim 2025
Ain Gordon/Condolence (working title)
Creative Capital 2023 Award
John Kelly/Untitled New Work
Baryshnikov Arts Fellow (NY) 2024
2022/23 Season
Emily Coates/WE – directed by Ain Gordon
Dartmouth College (NH) June 2022
SUNY Purchase (NY) April 2023
Quick Center (CT) April 2023
Kaatsbaan (NY) June 2023
John Kelly/Underneath The Skin
LA MAMA ETC (NY) Dec 2022
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rhoda Cerritelli (President), Barbara Dufty (Vice President),
Kim Chan (Secretary/Treasurer), Linda S. Chapman, Ain Gordon,
Rhoda Grauer, Tanisha Jones, Bill Kux, Jennifer Tipton, Suzanne Weil,
David Gordon, Founder/Director Emeritas, (1978-2022)
Special thanks to
We would appreciate your support.