Theological Avant-Garde: The Arts Program at the Judson Memorial Church, 1958-1973

This dissertation examines intersections of theological perspectives and artistic practices at the Judson Memorial Church in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City from 1958-1973. With a theology and ecclesiology informed by social justice, the Judson ministers engaged artists, activists, and congregation members in creative projects that they believed enhanced the larger goals of the Church to create a space for social change. Engagements with civil rights, women's liberation, anti-Vietnam war protests, and gay liberation became central motifs in art and social programming. Focusing on the relationships between the Judson ministry and artists, I contend that the Judson ministers were engaging in artistic practice in their own right through their commitment to facilitating and developing creative work. Howard Moody, Alvin ("Al") Carmines, and Bernard ("Bud") Scott responded to the needs of their community by creating a space where faith practices and art converged, eventually transforming the sanctuary into a performance space.
Through chapter case studies of Allan Kaprow and Claes Oldenburg at the Judson Gallery, Phyllis Yampolsky's Hall of Issues, Al Carmines' Judson Poets' Theater productions, and Judson Dance Theater members Yvonne Rainer and Carolee Schneemann's connections to the Church, I reveal the extent to which the ministry and the space itself impacted the art produced there. In examining these interactions, I explore a set of key concepts that shape discussions of the 1960s and continue to frame artistic practice today, namely spirituality, democracy, sexuality, participation, community, social responsibility, and the avant-garde. To look closely at the ways in which these concepts functioned at this particular institution furthers an understanding of the legacy of 1960s art. Rather than thinking about 1960s American art as a rejection of universals, faith, and spirituality, this study reveals significant connections between art and religiosity, expanding the definition of artistic practice as the venture not only of artists but also of ministers and community activists.