Articles & Reviews

Bibliography: Annual Avant Garde Festivals 1963-69

This three-page document lists bibliographic references for the 1st through 6th Annual Avant Garde Festivals, from 1963 to 1969.

Grace Glueck, "Art Notes: Divertissement."
New York Times (November 7, 1971)

In this short article, Glueck describes the 8th Annual Avant Garde Festival at the Armory.

Richard F. Shepard, "Avant Garde Festival Held at Armory."
New York Times (November 1971)

This article gives a brief, enthusiastic account of the 8th Annual Avant Garde Festival.

Fred W. McDarrah, "Avant Garde Festival: Down to His Last Mouse."
Village Voice (November 25, 1971)

This extensive three-page article includes several photographs from the 8th Annual Avant Garde Festival, as well as vivid, personal descriptions of a number of the works.

J.P. "Charlotte's Festival: Why Do They Do It?"
Village Vice (November 25, 1971)

In this brief piece, the reviewer considers the 8th Annual Avant Garde Festival as "a study in contradictions of terms. The idea is so absurd and has been for so long that one begins to think it is outrageous."

Carman Moore, "That Festival Was Needed."
Village Voice (December 9, 1971): 49.

The writer of this review considers many of her colleagues to have treated the 8th Annual Avant Garde Festival unjustly, with some critics arguing that avant-garde art doesn't belong in a festival-carnival.

Tom Buckley, "Electrified Spaghetti on Avant Garde Fete Menu."
New York Times (October 29, 1972): 70.

The author of this review of the 9th Annual Avant Garde Festival gives positive, extensive descriptions of several works, including pieces by Tony Martin, Ay-O, Larry Miller, and Yoko Ono.

Annette Kuhn, "The Underwater Cellist: 'Push Her Further Down."
Village Voice(November 2, 1972):70.

This reviewer of the 9th Annual Avant Garde Festival gives her personal impressions of some of the works, the audience, the participants, the site, and the overall ambience.

Carman Moore, "The Avant-Garde in Dry Dock."
Village Voice (November 9, 1972):47.

In this Village Voice article from 1972, Carman Moore attempts to put the 1970s' avant-garde in a historical context of the 1950s and 1960s, and discusses at length what she sees as its current failings, including the artist-audience relationship.

"Ninth Annual."
New Yorker (November 11, 1972)

In this unattributed Talk of the Town piece, the author takes an anecdotal approach as he or she waits for Charlotte Moorman to play her cello underwater.

Mary Breasted, "Ms. Moorman's Water Music."
SR (December 2, 1972):19-20

The author of this article is unimpressed by the 9th Annual Avant Garde Festival and describes in some detail Nam June Paik's TV Bed and Shigeko Kubota's Video Birthday Party (60th) for John Cage.

Michael Kaufman, "When Festival is 10, Is It Avant-Garde?"
New York Times (December 10, 1973)

In this article, Michael Kaufman gives a biographical introduction to Charlotte Moorman, from her beginnings as a student at Juilliard to her discovery of the avant-garde via John Cage. Kaufman also describes works in the 10th Avant Garde Festival.

Lee Sheridan, "City Collectors Participate in Avant Garde Festival."
Daily News (December 7, 1973)

This reviewer considers the 10th Annual Avant Garde Festival to have been "an historic event charting the course of the unconventional art of the 1970s."

Diane Dreyfus, "A Day at the Station,"
Nightwatch (December 20, 1973): 6

This is the author's personal account of the tenth Annual Avant Garde Festival. The reviewer spent the day at the Grand Central Station and describes to the reader what she, her fellow spectators and the performers were up to. She appears to be charmed by the playfulness of the Festival.

Peter Frank, "The Avant Garde Festival: And Now, Shea Stadium."
Art in America (November/December 1974): 102-106

This extensive article, published in Art in America, covers the history of the Annual Avant Garde Festival up to its eleventh year.

Ellen Stock, "Best Bests: Shea It With Music."
New York (7:46 1974)

This short announcement for the 11th Annual Avant Garde Festival at Shea Stadium is illustrated with a playful drawing of the venue and performers.

Richard F. Shepard, "With Left Bank in Right, Avant-Garde Fete is Far Out."
New York Times (November 17, 1974)

This short article portrays a sprawling 11th Annual Avant Garde Festival at Shea Stadium as an exhibition of "unusual creative outbursts" and mentions the eclectic range of works by artists, including Yoko Ono, Ay-O, Otto Piene, John Cage.

Robin Reisig, "The Avant-Garde Festival at Shea: In Which Charlotte Moorman Attempts to Play Her Cello on a Trapeze and Succeeds in Kicking It, Thereby Making a Sound."
Village Voice (November 21, 1974): 83

This reviewer gives a detailed description of her time at the 11th Annual Avant Garde Festival, writing, "I touched, heard, and played with the art works. I even ate several of them."

Alan Shapiro, "11th Annual Avant Garde Festival."
Good Times (December 4-17, 1974): 11

This short commentary on the 11th Annual Avant Garde Festival features numerous photographs of artists and works at the festival.

Ernest Leogrande, "En Garde, Floyd Bennett!"
New York Daily News (September 20, 1975): 15

This article announces the 12th Annual Avant Garde Festival to be held at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn; it mentions John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Alan M. Kreigsman, "A Gorple Grows in Brooklyn."
The Washington Post (September 29, 1975): B1, B7.

This two-page review describes several works included in the 12th Annual Avant Garde Festival.