Mission

ABC No Rio is a volunteer-led nonprofit community center for arts and activism. Since 1980, we have provided a home for the culture of opposition – facilitating cross-pollination between artists and activists committed to social justice.

WHO WE ARE

ABC No Rio is a place where people share resources and ideas to impact culture, community, and society. We believe that art and activism should be for everyone, not just the professionals, experts, and cognoscenti.

Our community is defined by a set of shared values and convictions: it is a community committed to social justice, equality, anti-authoritarianism, autonomous action, collective processes, nurturing alternative structures, and allying with institutions operating on such principles. ABC No Rio is radically committed to inclusivity, and we actively oppose discrimination and prejudice in all its forms.

Our community includes artists and activists whose work promotes critical analysis and an expanded vision of possibility for our lives and the lives of our neighborhoods, cities, and societies. It includes punks, artists and activists who embrace the Do-It-Yourself ethos, express positive outrage, and reject corporate commercialism. It includes nomads, squatters, fringe dwellers, and those among society’s disenfranchised who find at ABC No Rio a place to be heard and valued.

Read more about us as a volunteer-led, collectively organized organization.

ABC No Rio “IN EXILE”

In 2016 we demolished our old building in order to build a brand new one. During the construction of our new building, ABC No Rio programs and operations continue “in exile” at other venues and in collaboration with other organizations. ABC No Rio in exile provides a renewed and focused orientation towards collaborative work that brings us back to our roots, and “in exile” ABC No Rio remains a “place” where people share resources and ideas in an atmosphere of camaraderie and mutual support.

During our “in exile” period, ABC No Rio’s office, archive and Zine Library have found a temporary home around the corner at the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center. We are grateful for their support. If you want to schedule a visit, email us at abc (at) abcnorio.org. Join our newsletter to keep up with the latest events or visit here to learn how to get involved.

We hope to complete our new home in July 2026, and begin programming at 156 Rivington again in the Fall of 2026. Follow the progress to the new building here, and you can help by donating to our building fund here!