“Club 57: Film, Performance, and Art in the East Village, 1978–1983,” an exhibition of works will be on view at Museum of Modern Art, New York.

The exhibition is the first to examine the experimental scene-changing downtown New York’s seminal alternative space that was Club 57. The show will explore the legacy of Club 57’s founding curatorial staff film programmers Susan Hannaford and Tom Scully. Through the convergence of art, film, video, performance, art, and curatorship in the club environment of New York in the 1970s and 1980s, it became a space for interdisciplinary endeavors. The organization of the exhibition is closely linked to the acquisition of more than 100 original film and video titles to date, by more than 20 artists, ranging from performance documentation to music videos, moving image projects by Club 57 connected artists, and student films. The show features many works that have not been exhibited publicly since the 1980s.

Club 57 was a nightclub located at 57 St. Mark’s Place in the East Village, New York City during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was founded by Stanley Zbigniew Strychacki. It was a hangout and venue for performance- and visual-artists and musicians, including Madonna, Keith Haring, Cyndi Lauper, Charles Busch, and Frank Holliday among others. It became an early player in the shift of New York’s social life from Soho to the East Village. Its practice of collaborative themed exhibitions aligned the space with art collectives and initiatives such as the pioneering Times Square Show (1980) and anticipated the proliferation of East Village galleries beginning with the Fun Gallery and Gracie Mansion.

“Club 57: Film, Performance, and Art in the East Village, 1978–1983” runs from October 31, 2017 through April 1, 2018 atMuseum of Modern Art, 11 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019, USA.

For details, visit: http://www.blouinartinfo.com/galleryguide-venues/285133/museum-overview

Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the exhibition.