Program February 23, 1974 – Was this the evening event?  John Driscoll, composer/musician, and Maida Withers Dance Construction Company (John Bailey and Brook Andrews, JoAnn Sellars, Maida Withers) performed throughout the Columbus Gallery of Art during the opening public celebration of the addition of the new contemporary gallery in the historic Columbus Gallery of Art.

Program:  February 3, 1974 – Maida Withers and the Dance Construction Company, John Driscoll, sound composer, and four dancers and four musicians from Ohio State University performed “Changing the System by Christian Wolff. (1973) in the Columbus Gallery of Art 2:00 to 3:30 pm (see program below).

Note:  Maida Withers and the Dance Construction Company were established in 1974. Columbus was the first performance as an official not-for-profit federally tax exempt cultural organization. Maida Withers and JoAnn Sellars were in Columbus, Ohio on a education residency in public schools as part of the nations Artist in the School program.

Evening Event:
For the opening of the contemporary gallery, John Driscoll performed his work “Under the Putting Green – Version 4“.   What Chester Makes the World Takes was also performed at the Museum, Sunday program.
John Driscoll:  “I used an oriental temple gong that they had been using as a wastebasket, and before we left they almost gave it to me.  Then someone realized what it was. ” John Driscoll (letter to MRW 2021 – A musical instrument for John’s work)   The Dance Construction Company also performed What Chester Makes the World Takes. (John has a program which states the Christian Wolff work is “Score for Resonating Instruments and Voices,” but John D thinks that is an error. (John has a program which states the Christian Wolff work is “Score for Resonating Instruments and Voices,” but John D thinks that is an error.

Information for event celebrating new gallery:  Columbus Gallery Contemporary Art opening event????  Date.  Feb 3 or Feb 23, other?
Improvisation, Fragments, Maneuvers Etc…around, through
filling the space and time of gallery spaces and art objects
Watertower??? Ping Pong Balls.
(1974) Changing the System
Political musical score with adaptation for dancers
Dancers: Brook Andrews, John Bailey, Maida Withers and eight (8) dancers from Ohio State University, a nationally recognized dance program in the USA.
Musician/Composer:  John Driscoll, adaptation of score by Christian Wolff.
Length:  60 minutes
Location:  Columbus Gallery of Art, Columbus, Ohio

?  Is this Feb 3?  Not associated with the opening of the new gallery?   The afternoon will involve dance throughout the Gallery as well as performances of specific events at specified times in specified spaces. Performance includes dancers from Ohio State University Dance Program (see photo).

?  Is this Feb 23?  Evening performance – Dance and Music
The event was part of the Gala Celebration of the opening of the contemporary wing of the Columbus Museum of Art.  (Internet indicates the name was changed to Columbus Museum of Art).  John Driscoll and Maida Withers Dance Construction Company improvised during the entire opening.  John Driscoll performed Under the Putting Green – Version 4  along with What Chester Makes the World Takes.   Included in the performance was Score for Resonating Instruments and Voices  by Christian Wolf, famous inventive musician/composer. Dancers performed throughout the space among the huge and curious patrons attending for this revolutionary opening.  Dancers were on the elevator, in every room on every floor.  Maida danced on a  small platform high above the audience anxious to see the contemporary exhibition for the opening.

John, do you want to comment on your work in museums?  

MWDCCo as one of the earliest dance groups to perform consistently in museums.   That may have been due to the large number of federal and local museums in Washington, DC.  The Dance Construction Company considers our museum work one of our leading initiatives….not performing stage works in a museum but the museum as an architectural and content location for creating new and specific work.

Note:  The museum performance occurred during Maida Withers’ Artist in the School two-week national residency in Columbus, Ohio. Maida was part of the original team for the newly designed National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts Artist in the School program.  This was an important national movement to get all the arts in all the schools.  Maida did two-week residencies in Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, others.

University of Ohio dancers. – Columbus Gallery of Art, Columbus, OHIO

John Driscoll Program (I don’t think this is the opening event of the new gallery?????