April 1, 2010 (Detroit)—Acclaimed art historian, author, critic and curator RoseLee Goldberg will provide an authoritative introduction to the history of performance art on April 21 at 7 p.m. at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). The talk is free and will take place in the DIA Auditorium. 

In addition to sharing her knowledge about performance art’s history, Goldberg will talk about the ideas behind the hugely successful Performa biennial, which she launched in 2005. Her presentation will be largely based on works recently commissioned for Performa, an organization she founded in 2004 that presents the acclaimed New York City performance biennial, and will feature a vast array of works by visual artists from around the world. Goldberg will show excerpts from recent Performa commissions by Isaac Julien, Francis Alys, Laurie Simmons, and Nathalie Djurberg, among others.

With the publication of her groundbreaking book Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present in 1979, Goldberg became recognized as the preeminent scholar of performance art, and she has continued to chronicle the genre for more than 30 years since. Her experience as director of the Royal College of Art Gallery in London eventually prepared her to serve as curator at The Kitchen, one of New York’s premiere venues for video, music, dance, performance, film, and literature. 

Performance art, recognized as an art form for more than 40 years, consists of the actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and time,essentially, as Goldberg defines it, “live art” presented by visual artists. It often includes four basic elements: time, space, the performer's body, and a relationship between performer and audience. In the 1960s, artists began to make performances as a way to challenge commodity-based art. 

This lecture is part of the DIA Arts and Minds Lecture Series, sponsored by Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art.