Showing posts with label queer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label queer. Show all posts

March 17, 2012

Queer Desire in the Archives

This quarter I have been working with the Curator of Visual Material at the UW Special Collections. She pointed out an interesting topic when thinking about queer material in the archives. Do archivists consider queer desire pornographic? If so, how do they handle the material? Furthermore, what if they accept the material and digitize it, will the viewer find it offensive? Whats the best approach to prepare the viewer to see queer desire in the archives?

I have been thinking about this for some time and many things come to mind. My response to these questions are questions back to the archivists. How do you prepare viewers to see racism? How do you prepare them to see nudity of any variety in the archives? How does prepping the viewer change the learning outcome? If we prep the viewers before they see the archive holdings does it present the material as something that was or is offensive?  Does this perpetuate racism, sexism and homophobia?

I have seen several naked people (mostly women) in archives, racism runs rampant and I have certainly seen my fair share of homophobia. My conclusion is you don't have to prep them nor do
I don't think you can prepare someone to see the content in the archives. However, it is an interesting topic and has room for further investigation.

Other things I have noticed in the archives, there is queer history. The problem I face is how to search for it, how to offer a better understanding of queer in the archive, and how to allow independent curiosities to tease it out. To start to grapple with these ideas I did a series of searches in the finding aids of the Special Collections at UW. The following include the results.


Searching the word Gay is the most successful word

Personal Papers/Corporate Records(48)

Visual Materials Collections(11)

University Archives/Faculty Papers(8) 

However, Lesbian found

Personal Papers/Corporate Records(21)

Visual Materials Collections(6)

University Archives/Faculty Papers(3) 




Many of these Lesbian results are duplicates from the Gay query; however, it should also be noted that there is a Lesbian archive in Tacoma, Wa. This certainly changes the findings of Lesbian material at the UW special collections.


Furthermore, Homosexual found

Personal Papers/Corporate Records(9)

University Archives/Faculty Papers(1)


Transgender found

Personal Papers/Corporate Records(1)

University Archives/Faculty Papers(1)


Transvestite found
 Personal Papers/Corporate Records (1)
 Visual Materials Collections (1)



Queer found 

And Invert
 nothing.

This summer I hope to query queer in the archives and see what concrete themes I can find. I also hope to push this through to the web. Fingers crossed and schedules full I move forward.

March 5, 2012

Qt(A)M Call to Artist

 Queering the Museum presents: Hide//Seek//Difference//Desire//Northwest
Call to Artists - Tacoma, WA

Deadline: Monday, April 9, 2012 (midnight)
Exhibit Dates: May 12 – June 12, 2012
Hide//Seek//Difference//Desire//Northwest
Queering the Museum invites Pacific Northwest artists to submit work to be included in the upcoming exhibition Hide//Seek//Difference//Desire//Northwest at "The Space." This show creates an opportunity to respond on the local level to Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture, which will be on view at the Tacoma Art Museum March 17 - June 10, 2012. Submitted artwork should reference portraiture and/or queer culture.
To Apply
Please send the following items as attachments to Erin Bailey at erinbailey33@gmail.com:
      CV/Resume, including phone number, email, and mailing address.
      1 to 3 jpeg images of the work to be included in the exhibition.
                                         ■ If the work is not yet completed, please send images of past work and a timeline for completion.
      A detailed description of the proposed work, its relation to the topic, dimensions and medium.

If a work is purchased during the show, Queering the Museum asks for a 30% commission to help offset the costs of the symposium.
Eligibility
Applicants may apply as a single artist or as an artist team. Applicant must be 18 years or older and must reside in Pacific Northwest. Works in any medium will be considered, but preference will be given to 2 dimensional works. If an artist is selected, the work must be ready for display by May 5, 2012.

If Selected
Selected artists will be invited to submit one piece to be shown in Hide//Seek//Difference//Desire//Northwest. Artists will be invited to attend the symposium at the Henry Art Museum and will be offered free admission +1 to the opening event. Selected work will be viewed by a number of local and national museum professionals, advocates, and collectors, and included on the Queering the Museum blog Queering the Museum Blog
About Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture
Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture is an internationally acclaimed exhibition that explores same-sex desire in American portraiture.
The exhibit comes to the Tacoma Art Museum March 17 – June 10, 2012 and has previously been mounted at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Hide/Seek features artwork by well known artists, including Andy Warhol, Annie Liebovitz, Andrew Wyeth, Robert Mapplethorpe, Jasper Johns, Thomas Eakins, Berenice Abbott, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres.
Hide/Seek teases out the queer history interwoven in American art, offering a method for museums to present and explore queer culture within their programming. A high profile censorship of Hide/Seek while at the Smithsonian exposed the opposing views and challenges that many cultural institutions face when addressing difficult subjects. For more information, visit the Hide/Seek website or Post Defiance blog
From the Hide/Seek website:
Hide/Seek considers such themes as the role of sexual difference in depicting modern America; how artists explored the fluidity of sexuality and gender; how major themes in modern art, especially abstraction—were influenced by social marginalization; and how art reflected society’s evolving and changing attitudes toward sexuality, desire, and romantic attachment.”
About Queering the Museum
The Queering the Museum project (QTM) was inspired by the observation that queer culture is often viewed as a tangential element of history. QTM seeks to develop methodologies for representing queer culture in museums. Specifically, QTM seeks to overcome barriers in queer representation and fragmented history in museums, while teasing out queer culture’s role in mainstream history.

The project pulls from multiple fields bringing the community, scholars, and advocates together to present a holistic interpretation of queer culture. The first undertaking of QTM is a two day Queering the Art Museum symposium [Qt(A)M] May 11-12, 2012, followed with a Queering the History Museum symposium [Qt(H)M] in 2013. For more information and updates about the Queering the Museum project visit Queering the Museum Facebook page. 

About the Symposium
On May 11-12, the Henry Art Gallery is partnering with the Tacoma Art Museum and the University of Washington to host Queering the Art Museum, a two day symposium addressing roles and perspectives of queer culture in the museum context though lectures, conversations, tours, and other programs.



Join Dr. Jonathan D. Katz, co-curator of both Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture and Art, AIDS, America and Rock Hushka, Director of Curatorial Administration at the Tacoma Art Museum and co-curator of Art, AIDS, America for a conversation that will address their work including queer perspectives in museum exhibitions and programs.



The symposium will continue with a panel conversation turning the queer gaze of local academics, artists, and museum professionals toward the future of queer inclusion and exhibitions in art museums. Following the panel, the Tacoma Art Museum will host guided tours with Jonathan D. Katz and Rock Hushka of Hide/Seek. The symposium will conclude with a workshop and series of local art activities, including a reception for Hide//Seek//Difference//Desire//Northwest. For program updates visit the Henry Art Gallery website.

Presenting Venue for Hide//Seek//Difference//Desire//Northwest
The Space is a nonprofit in downtown Tacoma, WA that builds a creative community and connects artists by providing time, space, and support. The Space offers nearly 4,000 square feet of event space in a classic loft-style setting and features floor-to-ceiling views of downtown Tacoma and Commencement Bay. Look for special arts events occurring each month including music shows, festivals, fashion shows, film screenings, theater, burlesque, contemporary dance, and visual art exhibitions. For more information, email thespace729@gmail.com or visit The Space Facebook page. 

March 2, 2012

Holes In History- the search to fill the gaps of Queer history

I hear all too often that queer history is fragmented, which is undoubtably true. Generally speaking, there are holes in history. One could argue that there are holes in every facet of history, thinking specifically to greek history, chinca/o history, women's history, middle class history and especially history before the photograph. History is the victim of time, which ironically is the very element that creates history. So is queer history too fragmented to be pieced together, or have we not put in the work? Teasing the queer out of history creates our history.

The archivist I work with mentioned an equally interesting point. She emphasized looking for the other side of queer history, those working against queer people, performing medical treatments and experiments and other variations of queer bigots. Those stories inform the struggle of queer culture and are more likely to be the victim of time.

The next time you hear that queer history is fragmented, ask them if they have ever been in their local archive? If they know any historically queer figure in their town. Most likely they will say no; however, if they are able minded and know an answer to any one of these questions ask them to write about it. Start a blog, make a Facebook post, or even share the information on the new QueerWiki.

We have a history, there are tools to write, we just need to put in the time.

February 21, 2012

Queering the Art Museum Symposium

 On May 11 and 12
Henry Art Gallery and Tacoma Art Museum
FREE for Students and UW Staff/Faculty  | $10 Henry Members | $20 General Audience

The Henry Art Gallery is partnering with the Tacoma Art Museum and the University of Washington to host Queering the Art Museum, a two day symposium addressing roles and perspectives of Queer culture in the museum context though lectures, conversations, tours, and other programs.

Join Jonathan D. Katz, co-curator of Hide and Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture and Art, AIDS, America and Rock Hushka, Director of Curatorial Administration at the Tacoma Art Museum, co-curator of Art, AIDS, America for a conversation that will address their work including Queer perspectives in museum exhibitions and programs.

The symposium will continue with a panel conversation turning the queer gaze of local academics, artists and museum professionals toward the future of queer inclusion and exhibitions in art museums. Following the panel, the Tacoma Art Museum will host guided tours with Jonathan D. Katz and Rock Hushka of the current exhibition of Hide and Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture. The symposium will conclude with a workshop and series of local art activities. For program updates visit henryart.org.

Queer in the History Musuem

I've often noticed that museums approach queer culture as parenthetical to the greater historical context. This idea was the at the core of the exhibit Hide and Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture, exposing that queer desire is not tangential to the cannons of American art but a recognizable thread throughout. This idea applies to the influence of queer culture on American history, its not tangential but influential.

Many museum are reexamining how to address queer history as a non tangential element included in the greater story. However, we live in a world caught up with being politically correct. This desire to be "pc" comes from our nation's history which is littered with cultural miscommunications and biases. To avoid repeating the mistakes of previous generations many are left navigating a rugged path to successfully address queer history in a politically correct and socially cogent manner. 

Navigating that path can be very difficult but Seattle's Museum of History and Industry took the lead with style. The Museum of History and Industry developed an award wining program called MOHAI Minutes, a program dedicated to creating short videos of two residents stumbling upon different elements of Seattle's diverse past. These videos highlight places, events and themes that built Seattle into what it is today. It's a history adventure that won't make you fall asleep!

Recently MOHAI  Minutes sucessfully addressed Seattle's queer past and all the while remaining "pc," proving it can be done! The video discussed Shelly's Leg, a disco bar that had an influential role in Seattle's queer past during the 1970's. The video does an excellent job of illuminating the rise and fall of Shelly's Leg and its impact on Seattle's queer history. Not to give away too many of the interesting factoids, this disco was the first gay - straight alliance in Seattle's queer nightlife. First we danced together, now we can get married together. Watch it, you wont be sorry.

February 14, 2012

Addressing Queer in Museums - the informal responsibility or acceptance?

 If museums have accepted the position of being an informal learning environment, addressing all cultures there is an expectation that museums should also address queer culture. Informal learning environments in museums offer exhibits and programs that expand modern curriculum and address topics not traditionally included. There are many reasons to explain that lack of queer content in modern curriculum. Firstly, queer is a broad topic with several areas of history left unexplored. The biggest challenge to educators and museums alike, is condensing and synthesizing the information available. Secondly, the need to remain politically correct and positively educate students about these topics without inviting push back from differing ideologies creates a equal formidable challenge. These challenges also offer museums an opportunity activate their informal learning environment to fill the gap in modern education.

These issues are not exclusive to  curriculum, many people are still unexposed to queer culture. Museums have an opportunity to create an enriching environment where ideas of queer are explored and celebrated.The increase of queer topics in museum exhibits, such as the 2010 National Portrait Gallery’s Hide and Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture and the 2011 Chicago History Museum's exhibit Out in Chicago support the trend to tackle these broad issues of condensing and synthesizing queer history in the multiple disciplines.

Creating museum experiences where the queer community can find their complicated histories is paramount for museums to maintain relevancy to the diverse queer community.This blog operates under the assumption that museums have accepted the responsibility to approach education, programming and exhibit that does not discriminate. The theme of acceptance has been an overarching in queer history being sought firstly by loved ones, followed by acceptance in the work place to general societal acceptance.  My observations in museums leads me to believe that museums have moved past the initial acceptance of queer culture and now must face acceptance of a different variety - museums ought to accept their responsibility to informally educate, program and exhibit without discrimination.  This blog aims to discuss the intricacies of histories, how museums continue to address queer culture and a review of the growing scholarship surrounding inclusion/queer culture. I hope this will be a learning experience for all. Let's discourse.