Justin Allen

ISSUE Project Room celebrates the 20th Anniversary of its Artists-In-Residence (AIR) program throughout 2026 with performances by current residents and returning alumni. This anniversary season highlights AIRs whose work reflects the ongoing evolution of a much broader community of experimental artists who have helped shape ISSUE for over twenty years.

Friday, February 13th, at 8pm, ISSUE presents a first-time collaboration between multimedia artist and 2014 ISSUE AIR Raúl de Nieves and interdisciplinary artist Dawn Kasper (2015 AIR) in honor of the anniversary season. The evening will open with a performance by Justin Allen (2020 AIR).

Writer and performer Justin Allen returns to ISSUE with a new work building on his interest in rhythm, language, communication, and sound. Pulling from his backgrounds in tap dance and writing, Allen will play with the many ways cadence can appear in time and space.

Justin Allen works in music and sound, performance, visual art, and writing. He has been commissioned by The Chocolate Factory Theater, The Shed, and ISSUE Project Room and received support from Franklin Furnace, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and the Jerome Foundation. He received his BA in literary studies from Eugene Lang College at The New School and his MFA in sculpture from Yale School of Art. In 2022 he released a four-song EP with his punk band Black Boots. In the fall of 2024, he released his first book, Language Arts, published by Wendy’s Subway.