City of Women Video Library: The History of the Future

We asked Martha Wilson to curate this year’s City of Women Video Library. She selected recordings of 19 performance works which have “…changed art discourse during the last quarter century.”

1. The Age of Avant-Garde Innocence: Alice Aycock, Untitled. Performance at Franklin Furnace, 1978.
2. The Body as Art Medium: Tari Ito, Face:  Memory of the Epidermis, 1994.
3. Endurance: Jill Scott, A Beat in Step, 1975; Stick a Round,1976.
4. Art in the Environment: Donna Henes, Chance for Peace, 10 min., 1985.
5. Music as Art: Alva Rogers, Race Songs and Islands, 1992.
6. Art History: Andrea Fraser, Museum highlights: A Gallery Talk, 1989.
7. Feminism: Ilona Granet, Rape, 2 X 30 min., 1978.
8. The World’s a Stage: Fiona Templeton, You the City, 1988.
9. Gender Benders: Cathay Che, Impact 25, 1995.
10. Art and Madness: Linda Sibio, West Virginia Schizophrenic Blues, 30 min. excerpt of a 5 hour performance, 1990.
11. The Culture Wars, I: Holly Hughes, Preaching to the Perverted, 1999.
12. The Culture Wars, II: Annie Sprinkle, Post Porn Modernist, 1991.
13. Monologue: Deborah Edmeades, Fancy Ladies, 1999.
14. Dis-Ability: Jesse Jane Lewis, b, 2 min.; A Change in the Perception of Red, 8 min.; Video Skitz, 3 min.; Stick to Black, 4 min.
15. Race: Robbie McCauley, Sally’s Rape, 1990.
16. Art and Politics: Coco Fusco and Paula Heredia, The Couple in the Cage, 1993. Coco’s piece with Guillermo Gomez-Pena.
17.  Art/Life: Linda Montano, Mitchell’s Death, 1985.
18. The Extended Body: Patty Chang, Fountain, 1999.
19. Art/World: Cathy Weis, Excerpts, 10 min.