A Brief History of "Happenings" in 1960s New York

[Miigwech]

These are scenes that unfolded before audiences in a handful of New York galleries and spaces at the start of the 1960s. “Happenings
,” as the performances were known, combined elements of dance, theater, music, poetry, and visual art to blur the boundaries between life and art and forge a path for new methods of artistic practice. But for all their historical significance, this genre of work remains elusive and ephemeral—art historian Kirk Varnedoe once said that attempting to preserve the Happenings would be “like trying to catch wind in a butterfly net.”

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-what-were-1960s-happenings-and-why-do-they-matter