Open Universe · May 2026
Where we
are now.
Open Universe is not a concept waiting to become real. It is an institution in active formation — operating in New York, heading to Basel, building its collection, and establishing its permanent home in Miami.
This page is a transparent account of where we are. Not where we hope to be. Where we are.
Last updated May 2026
Current status
127 Henry Street, NYC. Exhibitions running, works on view, collector relationships active year-round.
The fair is going to Basel. Space search underway. Studios confirmed. The most significant international edition to date.
Two office partners signed and active. Works from the collection in rotation in professional environments in New York.
Agreements for works actively underway. The permanent collection is being built — studio by studio, artist by artist.
Actively searching for the permanent Hub location in Miami's arts and cultural district. Target: open 2026.
Application submitted to the Knight Foundation in support of the Miami institutional development and community programming.
The infrastructure for documenting and archiving the collection is being built — establishing the permanent institutional record for every artist and work in the Open Universe ecosystem.
How we got here.
Open Universe has been building quietly and methodically. Every step has been deliberate — operational before institutional, real before announced.
Co-founder David Fierman operates FIERMAN Gallery at 127 Henry Street, building collector relationships and placing work with major institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Studio Museum in Harlem, and Speed Museum.
ActiveDavid Fierman consults for major New York hospitals on art programming — building the institutional relationships and expertise that underpin the Open Universe node model.
ActiveOpen Invitational launches as the first art fair platform built specifically for progressive studios — free for studios, free for the public. Studios from across the country participate. The model is proven.
Complete501(c)(3) status established. Open Studio operating in New York. Living Collection active. Collection acquisitions underway. Archive and collection documentation systems in development. Knight Foundation grant submitted. Miami Hub search begun.
ActiveThe fair goes international. Open Invitational Basel brings the progressive studio field to one of the most important art weeks in the world.
Confirmed · Space in searchThe permanent institutional anchor in Miami opens — giving Open Universe a physical home in one of the country's most important arts cities and establishing the museum's permanent address.
In progressThe foundation
is being laid.
Most museums are announced before they exist. Open Universe has done the opposite — operating first, announcing second. The Studio has been running. The Fair has happened. The collection is growing. The relationships are real.
What is being built now is the permanent infrastructure around what already works — the Hub, the national network, the archive, the institutional record that will outlast any single exhibition or grant cycle.
This is the moment to be part of it.