Though widely acknowledged by artists and scholars, High Performance magazine remains underexamined in American art history. As one of very few international journals dedicated to performance art, it was a crucial platform for experimental practices, artist-authored documentation, and global visibility—especially for feminist, queer, Indigenous, and working-class artists. From the late 1970s to the 1990s, the magazine documented performances addressing gender violence, the AIDS crisis, immigration, and Indigenous sovereignty, while launching careers of artists like Suzanne Lacy, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Coco Fusco, and James Luna.
This convening marks the first large-scale scholarly gathering focused on the magazine’s role in shaping the growth, documentation, and discourse on performance art from the second half of the 20th century. Consisting of panel discussions with artists, arts administrators, scholars and emerging professionals, as well as live performance events, this program examines performance as protest, magazine culture, and how to sustain radical performance practices. Archival footage from the GRI’s collections will be available for viewing throughout the day, featuring highlights from the High Performance magazine records.
Program outline:
Session I: Sustaining Radical Performance Practices
Moderated by Erica Wall with Robyn Farrell and Amelia Jones
Session II: Magazine Culture in Los Angeles – From High Performance to Now
Moderated by Jenni Sorkin with Gwen L. Allen, Stacy Allan, and Hakim Bashara
Performance: Susan Silton, She Had a Laugh Like a Beefsteak
Session III: Performance as Protest
Moderated by Sarah Russin, with Kathe Kollwitz of the Guerrilla Girls, John Malpede, Patrisse Cullors, and Demian DinéYazhii
Performance: Linda Mary Montano with Tehching Hsieh
This convening is part of High Performance: A 2-Year Conference, a multi-institutional initiative dedicated to High Performance, featuring collaborations between the Getty Research Institute, 18th Street Arts Center, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), Highways Performance Space and Gallery, and the Performance Art Museum (PAM).
The recording will be available on the Getty Research Institute YouTube channel following the event.
Visit the Getty Research Institute's Exhibitions and Events page for more free programs.