There's no me without you

Pioneer Works in Red Hook is hosting There's no me without you, an installation by Finnegan Shannon, through December 20, 2026. It grows out of the artist's long-held fantasy of an exhibition space built around their own access needs.

The centerpiece is a 12-foot mechanized conveyor belt that carries artworks to visitors. Seated on surrounding furniture, people can meet each object through any mix of touch, sight and sound, with no need to stand for long stretches. Shannon describes the belt as part of a lineage of disabled hacking: taking something built for another purpose and finding what else it can do. The title comes from their view of interdependence as both a utopian ideal and a daily reality.

Three solo presentations by New York disability artists unfold on the belt in turn. Ariana Martinez opened the show with a soundscape and "tactile score" of objects, on view through October 4. Joselia Rebekah Hughes follows from October 7 to November 1 with Masque On, a multi-channel video shown on portable DVD players. Alex Dolores Salerno closes the run from November 4 to December 20 with ritual objects, found materials and archival items that trace coffee through family history, colonial exploitation and the climate crisis. Roasted and unroasted beans give that final presentation a noticeable scent.

The Second Floor Gallery is reached by elevator, with accessible, gender-neutral bathrooms on every floor. The room offers plentiful seating, a place to lie down, low-pile carpet and an audio description track. Visitors are asked to wear a mask; three-ply masks are provided, along with two Corsi-Rosenthal air filters and earplugs. The exhibition is closed on September 17, October 18, November 5, November 19 and December 12. Access questions can go to info@pioneerworks.org.