Preserving cultural history

Welcome to Artifacts, a new online video platform exploring the avant-garde, the arts, and queer culture.

Please browse a selection from our numerous series below, or explore the full archive by clicking the Archive button above.

Featured Film

Jerry Schatzberg

Jerry Schatzberg (b. 1927) began photographing babies post-WWII before launching a career in fashion and celebrity photography with Condé Nast. A student of Alexey Brodovich, he captured icons of the ’60s like Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones & Edie Sedgwick. In the 1970s, Schatzberg transitioned to film directing, with credits including The Panic in Needle Park and Scarecrow.

Gender Benders

Revealing the intimate dialogues and profound insights of groundbreaking icons, bending and transcending the boundaries of traditional gender and identity narratives.

NYU Skirball presents: Downtown Performance

Lorraine O’Grady

Lorraine O’Grady (1934–2024) was an artist, writer, and critic who gained recognition as an artist later in life, exploring race, feminism, and cultural identity. This interview, recorded in June 2024 – less than six months before her passing – was Lorraine O’Grady’s final comprehensive video interview.

Richard Schechner

Richard Schechner (1934- ) is a director, performance theorist, environmental theater pioneer, and NYU Performance Studies founder. Editor of The Drama Review since 1962, he founded The Performance Group, producing Dionysus in 69, which evolved into the Wooster Group.

Richard Foreman

In his final recorded interview, Richard Foreman (1937–2025), Obie-winning playwright, offers an in-depth reflection on his groundbreaking career and the evolution of his revolutionary Ontological-Hysteric Theater, celebrated for its non-narrative structures, abrasive soundscapes, and abstract acting.

JoAnne Akalaitis

JoAnne Akalaitis (1937–), co-founded Mabou Mines in 1970. A five-time Obie winner, she directed across genres and led NYC’s Public Theater (1991–1993), shaping political and experimental performance.

Silver Factory

An enthralling journey through Andy Warhol’s Factory, uncovering the mesmerising stories of its vibrant inhabitants.

John Cale

John Cale, born in 1942 in Wales, has spent over 50 years bridging avant-garde and pop music. A key player in LaMonte Young’s Theatre of Eternal Music, co-founder of The Velvet Underground, and a prolific solo artist and producer, Cale’s collaborations span from Patti Smith to The Happy Mondays.

John Cale

Coming soon

Underground Press

Uncover the untold stories of literary rebellion, journeying through the lives of game-changing figures who redefined the boundaries of literature and publishing.