Alan Barrows
Alan Barrows (born 1954) is co-founder of Civilian Warfare Gallery in Manhattan's East Village (1982-1987). It was one of the pioneer galleries of the East Village art scene in the 1980s and helped launch the careers of notable artists including David Wojnarowicz, Greer Lankton, Richard Hambleton, Luis Frangella, Jane Bauman and others.
History
Barrows was born in Florence, Arizona in 1954 and lived in Phoenix, Arizona until 1976 when he moved to Philadelphia. There, he met his future gallery partner, Dean Savard.
New York
Barrows moved to New York in 1980 and met up with his friend Savard who was living in a storefront on 11th Street between Avenues A and B in the East Village which he used as a painting studio. They held informal salons under the name Civilian Warfare Studio which featured their friends' artwork. A formal gallery soon followed in the storefront, renamed Civilian Warfare Gallery, with moves to two other locations over the gallery's life.
Post New York
Since leaving New York, he and the gallery have been mentioned in multiple publications and cited by academic institutions as one of the creators of the East Village Art scene. In 2009 he wrote the introduction for the opening of Greer Lankton's permanent installation at the Mattress Factory Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.. He was extensively interviewed by Cynthia Carr, for her book "Fire in the Belly," which featured work from first-time exhibitors and well-known artists highlighting the Center's commitment to providing emergency and permanent housing for those who need it most.
Also in 2019, Barrows' photograph by artist Curt Hoppe was one of 105 featured in Hoppe's one-man show at Howl! Happening "Downtown Portraits" celebrating the downtown New York scene of the 1970's and 1980's. Barrows' image can be found within David Wojnarowicz's work "Untitled, 1988" which is in the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. His image is included in Timothy Greenfield-Sanders photographic survey titled "Art World" which is in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York City; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the New York Public Library.
History
Barrows was born in Florence, Arizona in 1954 and lived in Phoenix, Arizona until 1976 when he moved to Philadelphia. There, he met his future gallery partner, Dean Savard.
New York
Barrows moved to New York in 1980 and met up with his friend Savard who was living in a storefront on 11th Street between Avenues A and B in the East Village which he used as a painting studio. They held informal salons under the name Civilian Warfare Studio which featured their friends' artwork. A formal gallery soon followed in the storefront, renamed Civilian Warfare Gallery, with moves to two other locations over the gallery's life.
Post New York
Since leaving New York, he and the gallery have been mentioned in multiple publications and cited by academic institutions as one of the creators of the East Village Art scene. In 2009 he wrote the introduction for the opening of Greer Lankton's permanent installation at the Mattress Factory Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.. He was extensively interviewed by Cynthia Carr, for her book "Fire in the Belly," which featured work from first-time exhibitors and well-known artists highlighting the Center's commitment to providing emergency and permanent housing for those who need it most.
Also in 2019, Barrows' photograph by artist Curt Hoppe was one of 105 featured in Hoppe's one-man show at Howl! Happening "Downtown Portraits" celebrating the downtown New York scene of the 1970's and 1980's. Barrows' image can be found within David Wojnarowicz's work "Untitled, 1988" which is in the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. His image is included in Timothy Greenfield-Sanders photographic survey titled "Art World" which is in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York City; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the New York Public Library.
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