The result of a yearlong conversation between FourOneOne and Black Aesthetics curators Arien Wilkerson and Malcom-x Betts, RABBLE is an extended, evening length program exploring manifold states of radical creativity as they meet the present political moment, pushing against accepted/complicit notions of performance as capitalism, class, systemic racism, and state violence intensify and continue to shape the definitions of audience and opportunity within funding, philanthropic and curatorial systems. 

FourOneOne’s working definition of performance, as the embodied means of transmitting the experiential knowledge of communities across generations, geographies and social boundaries, has found a deep sympathetic resonance with Black Aesthetics' mission of centering Black queer, non-binary, and trans artists and highlighting the variegated perspectives and experiences within those communities. We intend to create space for voices from communities that find themselves living in many different “Americas,” while also facilitating/provoking their intermingling. The two organizations have brought together a group of artists who disrupt not only their own aesthetic habits but also the expectations of the audience as cultural consumers. Hoping to draw audiences into dialogue with different modes of cultural resistance across social and aesthetic divides, RABBLE will showcase the Black, queer and ferociously anticapitalist punk of Philadelphia's ShyGodwin, ambient/improv duo HxH in collaboration with experimental filmmaker Laura Sofía Pérez and dancer/choreographer Kayla Farrish, Palestinian folk songs reimagined by Sijal Nasralla's Durham, NC-based dream pop band Dunums, the animistic feedback ritual of noise-technologists Qiujiang Levi Lu and Kwami Winfield, and an agit-prop dance/electronics set by Black Aesthetics founder/curator Arien Wilkerson. 

Variously defined throughout history as a "disorderly crowd of people," a "group, class or body regarded with contempt," or "common people lacking wealth, power or social status," RABBLE invites you to listen, hang out, watch, socialize, take refuge from and confront our political realities together across five hours of happenings. Feel free to come and go, bringing snacks, food, or anything to keep yourself comfortable. You can be as relaxed, engaged or ambivalent as you wish. This occasion is not only a protest/celebration but also a chance to unite around shared hopes for a better, safer community that values honesty and social daring.

This evening coincides with the 55th anniversary of the People's Flag Show, the historic 1970 exhibition at Judson Memorial Church organized by Faith Ringgold, Jean Toche, and Jon Hendricks to challenge laws around "so-called" flag desecration. The exhibition led to a police raid and arrests, becoming a landmark free speech case for artists.

To honor this legacy, Judson Memorial Church will celebrate the 55th anniversary with RABBLE and new flag-based artworks by contemporary artists, continuing the radical tradition of the People's Flag Show and the spirit of artistic freedom that defines Judson.

Black Aesthetics is an ongoing experimental performance art and dance series that celebrates Black, radical, moving, dismantling, and subverted avant-garde work. Since 2022, Black Aesthetics has produced 33 shows, each marking the presenting artist's first evening-length performance in New York. Centering Black queer, non-binary, and trans artists and highlighting the variegated perspectives and experiences within those communities, Black Aesthetics has become a cornerstone of Judson Arts, opening up the gate for artists to be seen, programmed, and allowed to engage with new audiences.

FourOneOne is a non-profit arts presenter that centers performance as the embodied means of transmitting the experiential knowledge of communities across generations, geographies and social boundaries. Foregrounding, in New York City, these performance practices and their transmission, to advance a rich conversation that emphasizes social context, history and the creative lives of communities over virtuosity, technique or individual genius. FourOneOne is committed to providing an equitable and open space for New York’s many audiences to engage with multiplicity and alternative approaches to time, space, and artistry.