From a collection of Club 57 calendars from 1980
The vitality of downtown club culture in the 1980s was fueled in part by a new type of participatory performance created by young artists who emerged in the decades following Pop Art. Club 57 in the East Village was the first venue — along with the Mudd Club — to feature these innovative performances that were in essence camp celebrations of popular culture. Artists made posters and created the sets, DJ’s played appropriate music, and club-goers were encouraged to dress according to the theme.
Gallery 98 has recently obtained a collection of high-quality, vintage, press photos of Club 57 events by the prolific downtown photographer Harvey Wang. Featured here are images from Lady Wrestling and the Elvis Memorial Party. Both events were organized by Ann Magnuson who managed the club, and who, along with Keith Haring, John Sex and later Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman, were the creative force behind many of its activities.
The collection below of Club 57 calendars from 1980 gives a fuller picture of a hyperactive scene that embodied, in the words of Magnuson, a “punk do-it-yourself aesthetic.” Theme parties alternated with performances by Punk and New Wave bands, and film screenings of old teen and horror movies that were otherwise unavailable before the emergence of video-rental stores. The Museum of Modern Art celebrated Club 57 in 2017 with the exhibition, Club 57: Film, Performance, and Art in the East Village, 1978–1983.
See more photographs and ephemera on Gallery 98’s Club 57 page.
Elvis Memorial Party, Club 57, August 16, 1980
Harvey Wang, Ann Magnuson outside Club 57, vintage silver gelatin work print for publication, Club 57, 1979/80. Size: 10 x 8 inches.
Harvey Wang, Kwong Chi with Elvis mask at Club 57, vintage silver gelatin work print for publication, Club 57, 1981. Size: 10 x 8 inches.
Lady Wrestling, Club 57, May 23, 1980
Harvey Wang, Lady Wrestling, vintage silver gelatin work print for publication, Club 57, 1980. Size: 10 x 8 inches.
Harvey Wang, Ann Magnuson at Club 57’s Lady Wrestling Night, vintage silver gelatin work print for publication, Club 57, 1979. Size: 10 x 8 inches.
Club 57 Calendars, 1980
March calendar with 3 Teenagers Kill 4, To be Drugged Gifted and Dressed in Black, and other events. Size: 11 x 8.5 inches
May calendar with Lady Wrestling and other events. Size: 11 x 8.5 inches.
July calendar with Keith Haring exhibition and other events. Size: 11 x 8.5 inches.
August calendar with Elvis Memorial Party and other events. Size: 11 x 8.5 inches.
September calendar with Chelsea Girls and other events. Size: 11 x 8.5 inches.
See more items on Gallery 98’s Club 57 page.
