Suzanne Harris

Suzanne Harris was an American artist who created dances and site-specific, often sculptural installations. In 1969, Suzanne Harris abandoned her career studying medicine in order to explore dance. By the early 1970s, Harris became one of the great figures of contemporary dance in lower Manhattan, often performing with Steve Paxton, Trisha Brown and Judith Badow. She was particularly renowned for her improvisational dance and went on to found the Natural History of the American Dancer company. Her practice later turned to sculpture, in which she created large in-situ installations that engaged audiences. As one of the original denizens of 112 Greene Street Harris created work alongside fellow artists including Gordon Matta-Clark, Jeffrey Lew, Richard Nonas, Jene Highstein, Tina Girouard and Alan Saret. Harris was featured in Soup & Tart, a 1974 event at The Kitchen, organized by Jean Dupuy, in which audiences were served a meal followed by a “menu” of two-minute performances by over 30 downtown artists.

Soup and Tart