Black and White Piece (Photographs depicting "Black and White" a performance by George and Billie Maciunas at the Flux Wedding and Cabaret, February 25, 1979)

Inscriptions

Signed and dated, by artist.

Label

In the late 1970s, newlywed artists George Maciunas and Billie Hutching commemorated their wedding through a Fluxus ceremony. Fluxus was an experimental art movement that emphasized the production of artwork rather than the product. In this performance, the pair slowly stripped their respective suit and dress off their bodies, and then traded outfits with one another in entirety—including an exchange of wigs. The ceremony featured male bridesmaids dressed in drag and a female best man wearing tails. Hollis Melton documented the event through still photographs, which were woven together in an accordion folder. He commented that the piece was beautiful, possessing an "overwhelming dignity."

At the time, Maciunas and Hutching’s actions were likely interpreted as a statement against gender norms, calling for a greater freedom from traditional roles within marriage. Today, one can view this performance as quite radical, setting the stage for future work on gender equality and even gender fluidity—a topic that has recently come to the fore.

From the 2020 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 99, When Art Intersects History, curated by Allison Carrey '20, Class of 1954 Intern

Course History

WRIT 5, Memoirs of Family, Ellen Rockmore, Fall 2013

WGST 10, Sex, Gender, and Society, Giavanna Munafo, Fall 2013

WGST 37.2, GEOG 41, Gender, Space and Islam, Jennifer Fluri, Fall 2013

NAS 42, WGST 40, Gender Topics in Native American Life, Vera Palmer, Fall 2013

ANTH 31, WGST 36, Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective, Lauren Gulbas, Fall 2013

NAS 42, WGST 40, Gender Topics in Native American Life, Vera Palmer, Fall 2013

SART 30, Photography II, Fall 2013

SART 29, Photography I, Fall 2013

WGST 65, Queer Visual Culture, Gabriele Dietze, Winter 2014

WGST 10, Sex, Gender, and Society, Zahra Ayubi, Fall 2014

ENGL 7.47, Tales of the Avant-Garde, Andrew McCann, Winter 2019

ENGL 7.47, Tales of the Avant Garde, Andrew McCann, Winter 2020

Exhibition History

A Space for Dialogue 99, When Art Intersects History, Allison Carey, Class of 2020, Class of 1954 Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 7-April 26, 2020.

Shadowplay: Transgressive Photography from the Hood Museum of Art, Owen Robertson Cheatham and Friends Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, August 10-December 8, 2013.

Publication History

Billie Maciunas, The Eve of Fluxus, Arbiter Press (Orlando and New York, 2010), pp. 59-69.

Allison Carey, A Space for Dialogue 99, When Art Intersects History, Hanover, New Hampshire: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, 2020.

Provenance

The artist; given to George and Billie Maciunas, after the February 25, 1979 performance; Billie Maciunas, Altamonte Springs, Florida; sold to the present collection, 2011.

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Subjects