A BENEFIT FOR GIORNO POETRY SYSTEMS

Meredith Monk
Anne Waldman
Lydia Lunch
Lee Ranaldo
Matt Sweeney & JR Reynolds
Ellen Fisher
Tongo Eisen-Martin
JD Samson
Pema Dragpa
and special guests

Saturday, 
November 14, 2026

6 pm
Food and drinks
at a nearby restaurant

8 pm
Live performances
at Giorno Poetry Systems

In order to raise funds for Giorno Poetry Systems, John Giorno would produce benefit concerts. Between 1975 and 1994, benefits included performances by Philip Glass, Joan Jonas, Patti Smith, Laurie Anderson, Debbie Harry, Sonic Youth, and John Waters, among many others.

After a long break, the tradition starts up again this year with a benefit cohosted by Meredith Monk and Anne Waldman. After food and drinks at a nearby restaurant, they join some other very special guests to perform at 222 Bowery, culminating in performances of their own. 

This is a special opportunity to see live performances by cultural icons in the intimate context of a historic NYC loft. 

There are only 75 seats available. Reserve yours now!

All ticket sales benefit GPS’s “Treat a Stranger Grants,” where a jury of queer artists, poets, and musicians give unrestricted grants to other artists, poets, and musicians to support housing, health, immigration, legal costs, childcare, and other basic needs.

Gathering places for artists and the avant-garde, so central to the history of downtown New York, are becoming increasingly rare. Artists first moved into 222 Bowery in 1958; Giorno founded GPS in 1965; Burroughs moved into the Bunker in 1974; and GPS made it into a public venue in 2023.

We need your help to keep this all going.

Benefit committee:
Laurie Anderson
Penny Arcade
Negar Azimi
Pedro Barbosa
Matthew Barney
David Buuck
Patrick Collins
Stuart Comer
Kyle Dacuyan
Corinna Durland
Linda Earle
Adrienne Edwards
Nicole Eisenman
Peter Eleey
Julia Fowler
Helen Frankenthaler Foundation
Philip Glass
Maxwell Graham
Wade Guyton
Jane Hait
Keith Haring Foundation
Mattias Herold
Karen Hillenburg
Laura Hoffmann
Bob Holman
Laura Hoptman

Mike and Kaitlyn Krieger
kurimanzutto
Nicola Lees
Zoe Leonard
Kiang Malingue
Olivia Marciano
Gillian McCain
Julie Mehretu
Connor Monahan
Christian Nyampeta
Mel Ottenberg
Laura Owens
Paul Pfeiffer
Eva Presenhuber
Stefano Rabolli Pansera
Lee Ranaldo
Lucy Raven
Almine Rech
Charles Renfro
Ugo Rondinone
Allan Schwartzman
Arlene Shechet
Amy Sillman
Leah Singer
Casey Spooner
Anne Waldman
Hamza Walker
Arden Wohl
Bobby Yarra