RARE is pleased to present “The Downtown Decade,” a multi-genre overview of the intensely fertile creative scene that developed on New York City’s Lower East Side during the late 1970s and early 1980s. At a time when the city was on the brink of fiscal disaster and suffering daily internal chaos, a burgeoning and interconnected artistic community emerged that would enduringly alter previously held perceptions of art, photography, literature, film, and music. On display will be original items both by and featuring many of the participants, including Rene Ricard, David Armstrong, Nan Goldin, the Lurie Brothers, Jenny Holzer, Richard Prince, Peter Hujar, Kiki Smith, and Christoph Kohlhofer, as well as historical documentary material—vintage issues of the East Village Eye, gallery flyers, posters, manuscripts, and advertisements—and original artwork and photography by Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kate Simon, Philip Taaffe, Marcia Resnick, Curt Hoppe, Jimmy DeSana, Christopher Makos, Judy Linn, and Patti Smith, among others. A period soundtrack showcasing the era’s unique music will play in the gallery, including pieces by the Ramones, The Clash, Blondie, Public Image Ltd., Grandmaster Flash, Talking Heads, James Chance, the Lounge Lizards, and Television. Several special related events will also be held; please check our Events page for updated information.