Abrons Arts Center

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Cultural History of the Lower East Side – Curated Walking Tour with James Fuentes

May 12, 2026
 11:00am–1:00pm

To celebrate Henry Street Settlement’s partnership with Independent – now newly situated at Pier 36 on the Lower East Side – we are pleased to present a free walking tour, curated and led by gallerist James Fuentes. Taking place two days ahead of the inaugural Gala Preview, the tour explores the cultural history of the Lower East Side (LES) and brings into focus the neighborhood that connects Henry Street’s long-standing community mission and support of the arts, Independent’s new home, and the artists and dealers who continue to shape its cultural life.

The tour will trace several defining moments within the art historical framework of LES, spanning nearly a century. Beginning at Abrons Arts Center, which has been Henry Street’s home for artistic expression, experimentation, and activism for over a century, the tour will lead guests through the rich history of our neighborhood – celebrating the fact that one of New York City's most vital immigration portals has long served as fertile ground for some of the most important art movements of the past hundred years.


Please note that the tour capacity is limited.
Reserve your free walking tour spot today.

RSVP

Lee Quiñones
Lion's Den Mural
Spray paint on plywood panels
192 × 320 × 3 inches

Installed at James Fuentes Gallery, 2019, 55 Delancey Street

Tour Highlights

  • Kick off at Henry Street Settlement’s Abrons Arts Center, the only contemporary art center in NYC part of a social services agency
  • Meet Lee Quiñones as he discusses his iconic mural Howard the Duck and the Lions Den – a touchstone that connects Lee's work to Keith Haring and the broader hip-hop and graffiti movement of the 1980s
  • Visits to the flourishing Lower East Side gallery community
  • Ending at the site of Claes Oldenburg's The Store on E. 2nd Street, the landmark Happening of the late 1960s, closing the loop with one of the most significant avant-garde events of the last century

About James Fuentes

James Fuentes is an art dealer with a deep personal connection to the Lower East Side – as someone who grew up there, to founder of one of the neighborhood's original galleries over the past two decades, to now a member of Henry Street Settlement’s Board of Directors. Since 2007, James Fuentes’ gallery program has been led first by exceptional contemporary artists who are atypical from the conventions of their field. Alongside its program of exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles, the gallery regularly produces original publications through James Fuentes Press.


About the Gala Preview at Independent

The inaugural Gala Preview at Independent is Henry Street Settlement’s new fundraiser in the Lower East Side, for the Lower East Side. On May 14 from 5 to 8 pm at Pier 36, the Settlement will host a celebratory cocktail reception at Independent, one of New York City’s leading art shows. Proceeds from tickets to the Gala provide direct and vital support for Henry Street and Abrons Arts Center’s programs that open doors to opportunity, creativity, and connection to the Lower East Side community.