WhiteBox is an artist-run nonprofit alternative art space founded in 1998 by Juan Puntes, who remains its director, growing out of a circle of international artists, architects, and intellectuals in Manhattan's then-nascent Chelsea gallery scene. Within its first two years it drew International Art Critics Association nominations for group exhibitions including a survey of Viennese Actionists Gunter Brus and Hermann Nitsch. The organization has since relocated several times, including stints on the Lower East Side and in East Harlem, and now operates in Manhattan's East Village/Alphabet City. Its programming emphasizes social justice, cultural diversity, and community engagement through exhibitions, youth education, and public events.