Proposals due Friday, February 5, 2021
The Center presents an opportunity for LGBTQ+ artists, curators, and other professionals that identify as a Black, Indigenous, or person of color (BIPOC) to turn their idea into an online exhibition that reflects LGBTQ+ communities of color with honor and dignity. Different Strokes/Different Folks: Queer Artists of Color Paint the 21st Century will be a virtual exhibition incorporating the works of selected LGBTQ+ BIPOC artists to explore the intersections of gender and queerness, and the interplay of race, class, ability, religion, sex, and sexuality, all against the backdrop of an organization that was founded at the height of, and in response to, the AIDS epidemic.
The exhibition seeks to unite BIPOC artists that identify on any part of the queer spectrum, challenging static notions of who is “allowed” to claim the queer identity as well as what it means to be a LGBTQ+ BIPOC artist producing work today. Artists are invited to consider topics that create space to re-contextualize history, the present, and the not-so-distant future for LGBTQ+ communities and spaces.
Different Strokes/Different Folks will be organized by The Center’s Manager of Arts and Cultural Programs, Richard Morales with input from Center Staff and will be on display online from February – June, 2021. The exhibit invites viewers to engage with the artists, their art, and all of The Center’s virtual arts programming.
Participating artists will be provided a $150 honorarium for their participation. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we may not be able to respond directly to each proposal, and not all proposals will be accepted. With any questions please email rmorales@gaycenter.org with “Art Exhibit” in the subject line, followed by your name.
Different Strokes/Different Folks: Queer Paint in the 21st Century Exhibition is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and administered by LMCC.
ABOUT ARTS AT THE CENTER
The Center has always been a unique place for the LGBTQ community’s cultural expression. Today, we present provocative and high-quality arts programming that resonates with LGBTQ audiences, including thousands of community members who may be unable or unlikely to participate in the cultural life of NYC. The Center is also home to an extensive LGBTQ history archive and lending library, and The Bureau of General Services—Queer Division, a queer bookstore and cultural space. Unique to The Center is the convergence of art and social justice—bringing to the forefront and celebrating LGBTQ artists and their works which in other venues have often been missing or, at best, marginalized. This infusion of social justice into the arts continues to inspire, engage, and provoke.