Every time Bettie Ringma and I headed north on Bowery towards the East Village, we passed a grungy bar that clearly had the feel of a happening scene. Curiosity pulled us into CBGB in 1976, and for the next three years the club was our regular haunt. More than just a music revolution, punk also affected the visual arts, fashion and design. We were an art group, first billed as Miller & Ringma and then as Miller Ringma & Hoppe when Curt joined our collaboration. In 1978 we organized the world’s first "Punk Art" exhibition in Washington DC.
"Punk Art Exhibit" (1978); the catalogue of an exhibition curated by Marc H. Miller, Bettie Ringma and Alice Denney for the Washington Project for the Arts, Washington DC. This online version of the out-of-print catalogue includes excerpts from original interviews; new introductions; additional images; and select videos.
Read MorePunk Art Catalogue (1978) - Section 1: Preface by Alice Denney; Punk Precedents, a historical essay by Gerald Silk; and an interview with Andy Warhol and Victor Hugo on Punk by Billy Kluver.
Read MorePunk Art Catalogue (1978) - Section 2: John Holmstrom and Legs McNeil launch Punk Magazine; visual imagery connected to the Ramones and Blondie; students at the School of Visual Art participate in the birth of Punk as a music and visual arts phenomena.
Read MorePunk Art Catalogue (1978) - Section 3: X Magazine and the artist group Collaborative Projects Inc (Colab) give Punk Art a political, social and sexual agenda; East Village filmmakers and the first Punk films.
Read MorePunk Art Catalogue (1978) - Section 4: Alan Suicide's electrified junk sculpture; "Frankie Teardrop" presages the music video genre; Marcia Resnick defines the fascistic element of Punk photography; and Ruth Marten stages a tattoo performance.
Read MorePunk Art Catalogue (1978) - Section 5: Punk meets fashion with Animal X; Steven Kramer's destructive mouse; Christa Maiwald screws the camera; and Neke Carson's "rectal realist" portrait of Andy Warhol is stolen from the show.
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