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LES 9 Ave B About Twentyfour years ago the idea for WhiteBox as the original alternative art space in Manhattans nascent Chelsea neighborhood arose among a tightly knit local group of international emigre artists architects and intellectuals armed with a radical and refined pluralistic and aesthetic sensibility based on social justice egalitarianism and inclusivity into the social fabric of New York City. It was their response to the New Yorkcentric art scenes lack of emphasis on social political and international art engagement. During its first decade in Chelsea WBX functioned as an artistrun alternative nonprofit art space serving the nascent local art community as a platform for engagement with contemporary artist peers from around the World. As such it developed a stream of potent sitespecific work and survey exhibitions and became a thriving laboratory for unique commissions exhibitions special events salon series and arts education programs shared with a large isolated minority citizenry living in the giant Elliott Public Houses and surrounding West Chelsea working class inlets.