NYU’s 80WSE art gallery presents Incendiaries: The People’s Flag Show 1970, a new exhibition examining the landmark show at the Judson Memorial Church and the networks of artists and activists who transformed it into a defining moment of art and cultural protest in the U.S. The exhibition runs September 9, 2026 through January 16, 2027.
In collaboration with NYU Special Collections, which houses the Judson Memorial Church Archive, Incendiaries highlights the origins and aftermath of The People's Flag Show, held in November of 1970 and featuring more than 150 downtown artists—including Faith Ringgold, Jon Hendricks, Jean Toche, Yvonne Rainer, Kate Millet, Carl Andre, and Jasper Johns.
Incendiaries: The People's Flag Show 1970 explores the political and cultural currents of the historic exhibition with rarely and never-before-seen photographs, flyers, letters, media coverage, and videos, including footage of Trio A With Flags (1970), choreographer Yvonne Rainer's iteration of her iconic dance, Trio A (1966). Archival documentation of the performance by members of the Grand Union dance troupe and video interviews with other participants of The People's Flag Show are a centerpiece of the exhibition.
The People’s Flag Show was more than an exhibition about the American flag, explains Howie Chen, 80WSE's director and curator. It was an ambitious act of cultural and political protest that spotlighted various artistic practices, including Fluxism and experimental dance.
“The People’s Flag Show was not a single-issue protest,” Chen says. “It brought together artists, activists, performers, and community organizers responding to overwhelming political realities—including war, racism, and censorship. Looking at this history can offer insight into how artists today might respond collectively to the complexities of our time and how art can become a form of political action in new ways.â€
Hosted by Judson Memorial Church, a hub of political and cultural activism that helped foster New York’s downtown avant-garde, The People’s Flag Show was inspired by the arrest and conviction of gallery owner Stephen Radich, who three years earlier had presented sculptures by an artist who had used American flags to criticize American involvement in the Vietnam War. When The People’s Flag Show opened, Radich’s appeal was still before the U.S. Supreme Court, placing the exhibition within a broader national debate over art, protest, and the limits of state authority.
The exhibition led to the arrest for flag desecration of Ringgold, Hendricks and Toche, who became known as the Judson Three. The artists were found guilty and fined $100, but their convictions were later overturned. Both cases were cited in the landmark 1989 Supreme Court ruling overturning flag desecration laws.
NYU's Fales Library and Special Collections, which holds archival material from the Church dating back to 1829, was a critical resource for this exhibition.
“Working with our colleagues at 80WSE on this exhibition echoes the collaborations that happened between so many artists and community members at Judson Church over the years,†said Charlotte Priddle, Director of NYU Special Collections. “Being able to support the creative activation and access to these archival materials in the context of this show is why we do the work we do: to help enable these stories to be told and be preserved for the future.”
The exhibition is free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 80 Washington Square East. Additional materials will be on view in the gallery's Broadway Windows, viewable around the clock at the corner of Broadway and East 10th Street.
