The Museum of Conceptual Art (MOCA) was founded in 1970 by artist Tom Marioni, who describe conceptual art as a "social artwork".[1][2] The museum moved into its second location on January 3, 1973 at 75 Third Street above Breen’s Bar in San Francisco, California.[3]
History
It was one of the three major centers for conceptual art in California in the 1970s,[4] and centered on the theory of conceptual art as "Art as Idea"[5] as well as featuring "life art".[6] It was a common place to view performance art, and in 1973 during the peak attendance, artists Joseph Beuys, Chris Burden, and Dan Graham performed at MOCA.[2] Starting in 1973, MOCA’s Free Beer every Wednesday offered free beer and viewings of artist videos.[2] Marioni continued his weekly beer drinking salon with friends, even after the museum closed.[7] Many of the participants of MOCA were male which was unusual for the time period and the location, the exception to this being artists Barbara Smith and Linda Montano.[2]
The museum closed its doors in 1984.[8]