The Avant Garde Coffeehouse Project

 

This exhibition examines the history and impact of an unexpected icon in Milwaukee’s underground art scene in the 1960s. From 1962 to 1968, the Avant Garde Coffeehouse at 2111 North Prospect was the locus of the folk/blues revival. Not only did the club host local and nationally known musicians, it was also a hotbed for experimental films, poetry readings, and performance art. Developed through the multi-faceted research project of the Peck School of the Art’s Music Department/Finger-Style Guitar program, the exhibition will include photography, ephemera, documentary video, sound recordings, and live performance. PSOA Theatre Department will also perform a newly composed play, Meet me at the Avant Garde, in conjunction with the exhibition.