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“New art movements always have this need to kill the fathers. You know, rock and roll killed jazz, pop art killed abstract expressionism. But the punks had the intelligence and the sensitivity to pay homage to their fathers, the beat generation, particularly Burroughs and Ginsburg.” — Victor Bockris for Howl! Arts

The extraordinary New York institution Howl! Arts has been nearly single-handedly reviving the anarchic, punk, beat, artistic community spirit in the East Village and Lower East Side, through exhibitions and its Howl! Happening events. This spring, Howl! Arts celebrated its five year anniversary, just as the world around it went into lockdown. Howl! shared this video romp through highlights from their five years of programming. We can’t wait to see what they bring for the next five years!

From Howl! Arts:

Taking its name from Ginsberg’s epic poem and clarion call of freedom, artist Allan Kaprow’s unpredictable free-form Happenings of the 60s and 70s, and Arturo Vega’s shining example of generosity and support for artists and our community, Howl! Happening has become an intergenerational cultural hub—a club house of experimentation, camaraderie, collaboration, and crazy wisdom.

In our exhibitions, live events, and public programs, we evoke and invoke our mentors and invite active participation of the community to circulate ideas, generate discussion, and celebrate the fearless innovators who are inexorably tied with our collective future. The values and lifestyle of artists and creators from the neighborhood are the stuff of legend. Giving voice to the “other,” the dissident, the overlooked, we also acknowledge that history is a continuum: the East Village’s legacy of rock and roll, social justice, poetry, art and performance, social activism, gay rights and culture, fashion, and nightlife is even more relevant now. As freethinkers, serious intellects, and thrill-seekers, we at Howl! Happening welcome change, dialogue, discourse, and dreaming as we move into the future.