Looking at Music: Side Two

Thanks to my friend Daisy for pointing this one out...here's an upcoming show at the Museum of Modern Art here in New York which ought to pique some interest. The description is a bit vague as to what exactly will be included, but it does sound promising. Looking At Music runs from June 10-November 30, 2009.

"In the mid-1970s, right on the heels of Conceptual art and Minimalism, many visual artists turned to making raw, hard-edged work that addressed urban blight and bad economies. With an ear set to punk, these artists worked in the netherworld between music and media, often forming their own short-lived bands. Their rough, do-it-yourself projects pushed the envelope of interdisciplinary experimentation, which soon spread to underground venues from New York to London, Düsseldorf, and Krakow. This exhibition features music videos, super-8 films, drawings, photographs, and zines from MoMA's collection that explore the melding of music, media, and visual art in the final decades leading up to the twenty-first century."

Sonic Youth, 1983, by Stephanie Chernikowski

A free poetry reading will be given in conjunction with the show on July 24 featuring Richard Hell, Eileen Myles, and Saul Williams.

"Revitalizing Frank O'Hara's legacy and MoMA's historical commitment to poetry, this series invites poets and performers to bring the literary tradition to the Museum's collection. They read historical works and their own work that reflects on modern and contemporary art.

This reading features poetry from the mid-1970s that was influenced by the experimental music and media scene of the time, and which responded to the era’s urban blight and depressed economies."