Charlotte Moorman facts for kids

Madeline Charlotte Moorman (born November 18, 1933 – died November 8, 1991) was an American cellist and artist. She was known for her exciting and unusual performances. People sometimes called her the "Jeanne d'Arc of new music." Charlotte also started the Annual Avant Garde Festival of New York. She worked often with the famous Korean American artist Nam June Paik.

Early Life

Madeline Charlotte Moorman was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on November 18, 1933. She started playing the cello when she was ten years old. After finishing Little Rock Central High School in 1951, she earned a music scholarship. She went to Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, Louisiana, and got her music degree in 1955. Later, she earned a master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She also studied at The Juilliard School in 1957, where she got another master's degree in cello.

Career

After her studies at Juilliard, Charlotte Moorman began a career playing the cello in classical concerts. She joined the American Symphony Orchestra. From 1958 to 1963, she was also part of a group called Jacob Glick's Boccerini Players.

However, Charlotte soon became interested in a more experimental type of art. This was called performance art in the 1960s. Her friend Yoko Ono helped her discover this new world. Charlotte once said she got tired of a regular cello piece. Someone then suggested she try a piece by John Cage. This piece involved preparing and eating mushrooms while playing!

Charlotte became friends with many famous artists of her time. These included Nam June Paik, Yoko Ono, John Cage, Wolf Vostell, and Joseph Beuys. She also worked with Carolee Schneemann and Jim McWilliams. This led her to be involved with the Fluxus movement. Fluxus was a group of artists who created open-ended and experimental performances. Charlotte worked closely with many Fluxus artists. She helped bring their unique ideas to life. In 1966, artist Joseph Beuys created a special felt-covered cello just for her. Even though she was involved, Charlotte, like some other female artists, faced some challenges with the Fluxus organizer.

Annual Avant Garde Festival of New York

In 1963, Charlotte Moorman started the Annual Avant Garde Festival of New York. This festival showed off experimental music from the Fluxus group. It also featured performance art, kinetic art (art that moves), and video art. The festival wasn't held every single year, but there were fifteen festivals from 1963 to 1980. These events often took place in very unusual spots. Some locations included Shea Stadium, Grand Central Station, the World Trade Center, and even the Staten Island Ferry!

Collaborations with Nam June Paik

At the Second Avant Garde Festival, Charlotte convinced Karlheinz Stockhausen to perform his piece Originale. She also got him to work with his original partner, Nam June Paik. This meeting started a long partnership between Charlotte and Paik. For decades, they combined sculpture, performance, music, and art. Paik even created many artworks just for Charlotte. These included TV Bra for Living Sculpture (1969) and TV-Cello (1971).

In 2001, Northwestern University Library received Charlotte Moorman's collection of works. Some of her photographs, music scores, props, and costumes were shown in art museums. These exhibitions took place in 2016 and 2017.

Death

In the late 1970s, Charlotte Moorman became ill. She received treatment and continued to perform throughout the 1980s. She kept performing even when she was in pain and her health was getting worse. Charlotte passed away in New York City on November 8, 1991, at the age of 57. After her death, her friend Carolee Schneemann created an online memorial for her.

See also

In Spanish: Charlotte Moorman para niños