The Happenings

Julie Bailey

• In this presentation you will learn about an artistic movement know as the happenings. You will become familiar with the artist Allan Kaprow.

Kaprow, Fluids, 1967

Click on a question and learn about the happenings.

Are all Happenings

alike?Who is Allan Kaprow?

What makes a Happening? Click here to

quiz your knowledge!

Different Kinds of Happenings

• Witty works by the theater• Abstracts by musicians and writers• Spontaneous works of painters• Each work with each other• They are not only being preformed in

New York, but in other major cities like San Francisco, Chicago, Paris, and Milan

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Click here to see a

happening

What Makes a Happening?

• Absence of a plot– There is a lack of a plot, a common

theme amongst the piece.– The happening is generated. It is may

not planned out or written. – A happening frequently has words but

they may or may not make any literal sense.

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What Makes a Happening?

• Involvement in chance– “I think that it can be demonstrated that

much contemporary art, which counts upon inspiration to yield that admittedly desirable verve or sense of the unselfconscious, is by now getting results that appear planned and academic. A loaded brush and a mighty swing always seems to hit the ball to the same spot.” - Greenburg

– Chance implies that there is a risk being taken and fear.

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Recreation

• Although a Happening can not be exactly recreated, the Happening can be recreated with a similar idea.

Click the poster to see more

What Makes a Happening?

• Impermanence• Can not be

reproduced• Made from

perishable items like tires, newspapers, rags, crates, etc.

Allen Kaprow, Yard, 1961, Martha Jackson Gallery, NY.

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About Allan Kaprow

• Allan Kaprow was born in Atlantic City, NJ, 1927

• He attended the School for Music and Arts in NY for high school.

• Studied art and philosophy under Hans Hofmann

• Died 2006 in San Francisco

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About Kaprow

• Coined the term “The Happenings”

• Assemblages, sculpture, painting

• He was inspired by Avant-Garde composer, John Cage and abstract expressionist painter, Jackson Pollock.

• Idea of bridging art and life

Allan Kaprow, Chicken, 1963. back

YARDIn 1961, in the Martha Jackson Museum, NY, Kaprow created an instillation using old rubber automobile tires and fixtures with tarp paper attached. The installation was open for people to come inside and walk and climb through the tires.

See a reinvention

of “Yard”

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Quiz: Question 1

• Click on the correct answer. • Allan Kaprow wanted to bridge art and ____?

A.LifeB.SoulC. Religion

CORRECT! 1• Click HERE for the next question.

CORRECT! 2• Click HERE for the next question.

Quiz: Question 2

• Click on the correct answer.True or False: Happenings are always planned out and are very predictable.

A. TRUEB. FALSE

CORRECT!Way to go!

Start Over

INCORRECT 1

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INCORRECT 2

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BACK TO THE QUESTION

INCORRECT 3

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Quiz: Question 3

• Click on the best answer.• Based on the view of Yard, by Allan Kaprow, do you

feel that the audience is invited to experience to work of art by being apart of the piece?

• A. No, the artist does not want to participation from the viewers. It would endanger the

predictability and the script of the piece.B. Yes, the artist feels that viewer participation is

critical. It is what makes a Happening.C. It does not matter if the audience is involved.