The Flue was a periodical published between 1980 and 1989 by the venerable institution Franklin Furnace Archive, which was founded in 1976 by the artist Martha Wilson to present, preserve, interpret, proselytize, and advocate on behalf of avant-garde art, especially forms that may be vulnerable due to institutional neglect, cultural bias, their ephemeral nature, or politically unpopular content. The periodical took on a multitude of media forms and functions, from organizational newsletters to exhibition supplements and catalogs, to scholarly surveys of contemporary and historical artists’ book movements. This shapeshifting approach was supplemented by artists’ projects and a changing cast of editors and designers, most of whom were artists. In total, there were sixteen issues of The Flue across six volumes, and all have been digitized and made available online for the first time here.

This double issue is centered around the theme of “Sex, Performance, and the 80s” and features artist projects by Sandy De Sando, Richard Sigun, and Cecilia Vicuña. Other contributions include Martha Wilson’s essay “The History of Sex at Franklin Furnace,” Linda Burnham’s “Live Sex Acts,” Micki McGee’s “On and Behind the Screen: Notes in Progress on Visual Pleasure in Performance and Film,” Melvyn Freilicher’s “The Summer of Boys: Issue in Performance,” Barbara Baracks’ “All You Need is Junk,” an interview with Carolee Schneemann by Linda Montano, and an interview with Charles Ludlam by Vanalyne Green. Book reviews, photo documentation of performances from Franklin Furnace Archive, and editorials are also included.

53 pages
10.5 x 8 inches
Paperback
1982
Artists / Editors: Vanalyne Green, Linda Montano
Designer: Adrienne Weiss
Publisher: Franklin Furnace

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Managing Editor (2021): James Hoff
Managing Designer (2021): Dan Bourke