The Arts · Grade 12 · Performance, Movement, and Social Space · Term 2

The History of Performance Art

Students will trace the evolution of performance art from its origins to contemporary practices.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• VA:Cn11.1.HSIII
• VA:Re8.1.HSIII

About This Topic

The history of performance art charts a progression from provocative early 20th-century experiments to today's multifaceted interventions. Students begin with Futurism and Dada, where artists like Filippo Marinetti staged noisy manifestos and Hugo Ball performed sound poetry to dismantle conventions. Postwar innovations by John Cage, Allan Kaprow, and Fluxus artists introduced chance, participation, and everyday actions as art. Contemporary figures such as Marina Abramović, with her endurance tests, and Tino Sehgal, who bans documentation, extend these ideas into personal and social realms.

This unit supports Ontario's Grade 12 Arts curriculum through standards VA:Cn11.1.HSIII, synthesizing historical contexts, and VA:Re8.1.HSIII, interpreting artistic intent. Students compare early anti-establishment drives with modern focuses on identity and politics, trace influences from world wars to globalization, and critique how performance art expands art's definition beyond objects to experiences.

Active learning suits this topic well. When students adapt historical works or devise responses to key questions, they experience ephemerality firsthand. Group critiques of peers' performances sharpen analysis of motivations and methods, turning passive history into dynamic skill-building.

Key Questions

1. Compare the motivations and methods of early performance artists with contemporary practitioners.
2. Explain how historical events influenced the emergence and development of performance art.
3. Analyze how performance art has challenged traditional notions of what constitutes 'art'.

Learning Objectives

• Compare the motivations and methods of early performance artists (e.g., Futurists, Dadaists, Fluxus) with contemporary practitioners, citing specific examples.
• Explain how historical events, such as World Wars and globalization, influenced the emergence and development of key performance art movements.
• Analyze how specific performance art pieces have challenged traditional Western art historical definitions of 'art' by prioritizing ephemeral experience over material objects.
• Synthesize research on a chosen performance artist to present a case study demonstrating their contribution to the evolution of the discipline.
• Critique the effectiveness of different documentation methods (e.g., photography, video, written accounts) in preserving the essence of ephemeral performance art.

Before You Start

Introduction to 20th Century Art Movements

Why: Students need foundational knowledge of movements like Futurism and Dada to understand the early roots of performance art.

Elements and Principles of Design

Why: Understanding concepts like space, time, and form is crucial for analyzing performance art, even when it challenges traditional definitions.

Key Vocabulary

Ephemeral Art	Art that exists only for a limited time, emphasizing process, experience, and impermanence over lasting objects.
Happenings	Improvised, often participatory events created by artists like Allan Kaprow in the mid-20th century, blurring the lines between art and life.
Fluxus	An international avant-garde movement of the 1960s and 1970s that promoted a blend of art, music, and social activism, often using simple, accessible actions.
Body Art	A form of performance art where the artist's own body is the primary medium, often exploring themes of endurance, identity, and societal norms.
Intervention	An artistic act that takes place in a public or social space, intended to disrupt, comment on, or alter the existing environment or situation.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Performance art started in the 1960s with Happenings.

What to Teach Instead

Precursors exist in 1910s Futurism and Dada cabarets. Jigsaw research activities let groups uncover and share early examples, correcting timelines through peer teaching and visual mapping.

Common Misconception

Performance art equals theater with scripts and sets.

What to Teach Instead

It prioritizes concept, body, and ephemerality over narrative. Adapted reenactments in small groups highlight these distinctions as students improvise and reflect on intentions.

Common Misconception

All performance art seeks to shock audiences.

What to Teach Instead

Many works provoke thought on social issues quietly. Debates in pairs reveal nuanced motivations, helping students analyze beyond surface reactions.

Active Learning Ideas

Small Groups: Performance Reenactment Stations

Divide class into stations for three key eras: Futurism/Dada (create manifestos), Happenings/Fluxus (improv actions), Contemporary (endurance sketches). Groups research, rehearse 3-minute pieces, then rotate and perform. End with class feedback on adaptations.

60 min·Small Groups

Pairs: Artist Motivation Debate

Assign pairs one early artist (e.g., Kaprow) and one contemporary (e.g., Abramović). Partners research methods and contexts, then debate similarities/differences in 5-minute exchanges. Class votes on strongest arguments with rationale.

40 min·Pairs

Whole Class: Interactive Timeline Build

Project a blank timeline; students add events, artists, and influences via sticky notes or digital tools. Walk through as a class, pausing to discuss historical impacts and vote on pivotal moments.

45 min·Whole Class

Individual: Response Performance Log

Students view clips of seminal works, journal personal responses, then perform solo 1-minute reactions. Share in circle, connecting to curriculum questions on art's boundaries.

30 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Curators at institutions like the Tate Modern or MoMA develop exhibitions that often include performance art documentation or live re-performances, requiring an understanding of historical context and artist intent to contextualize these works for the public.
• Festival organizers, such as those for the Venice Biennale or the SPILL Festival, select and commission contemporary performance artists, drawing on knowledge of the genre's history to identify innovative practices and potential audience engagement.
• Documentary filmmakers specializing in the arts create films about performance artists, needing to research historical influences and artist biographies to effectively communicate the significance of their work to a wider audience.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Present students with three images: one Dadaist poster, one Fluxus event photo, and one contemporary performance art still. Ask them to write one sentence for each, identifying the movement and one key characteristic that distinguishes it from the others.

Discussion Prompt

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'How does the emphasis on ephemerality in performance art change our understanding of artistic value compared to traditional object-based art? Consider the role of the audience and the artist's intention.'

Peer Assessment

After students present brief research findings on a historical performance artist, have them complete a peer feedback form. The form should ask: 'Did the presenter clearly explain the historical context? Did they identify at least one specific method used by the artist? Was the impact on later art discussed?'

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the origins of performance art?

Performance art roots trace to early 1900s avant-garde movements. Futurists like Marinetti used live declarations to reject tradition, while Dadaists in Zurich cabarets employed absurdity against war. These laid groundwork for rejecting object-based art, emphasizing direct confrontation. Students benefit from timelines to visualize this shift.

How has performance art evolved over time?

From Dada's chaos to Fluxus's playfulness, then Abramović's intimacy and Gómez-Peña's activism, it mirrors societal changes. World wars spurred anti-art rebellion; civil rights and feminism fueled body politics. Comparing eras helps Grade 12 students see art as responsive to history.

How can active learning help students understand performance art history?

Active approaches like reenactments and debates make abstract timelines tangible. Students embody artists' methods, grasp ephemerality through live execution, and critique peers to analyze motivations. This builds connections standards, fosters empathy for contexts, and deepens critical responses beyond lectures.

What historical events shaped performance art?

World War I birthed Dada's nihilism; WWII and Cold War contexts inspired Cage and Kaprow's indeterminacy. 1960s counterculture drove Happenings; later, AIDS crisis and identity politics influenced Phelan and Finley. Tracing these in group timelines reveals art's role in processing trauma and change.