Queer | Art

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QUEER|ART was launched in 2009 to support a generation of LGBTQ+ artists that lost mentors to the AIDS Crisis of the 1980s. By fostering the confident expression of LGBTQ+ artists’ perspectives, stories, and identities, Queer|Art amplifies the voice of a population that has been historically suppressed, disenfranchised, and often overlooked by traditional institutional and economic support systems.

 

Productions or Exhibits of Artist Work

QUEER|ART|PRESENTS focuses on audience development for LGBTQ+ artists through public presentations organized in partnership with co-presenting venues.

 

Residencies or Fellowships

QUEER|ART|MENTORSHIP was founded to develop an intergenerational and interdisciplinary network of support and shared knowledge for LGBTQ+ artists. The program nurtures exchange between artists at all levels of their careers, working against a social separation between generations and disciplines. 

The program is a year in length. Fellows in Film, Performance, Literature, and Visual Art apply with a specific project they would like to work on during the program. Proposing a project is a way for Fellows to introduce themselves to Mentors, and working on that project in dialogue with a Mentor is a way to focus the development of the relationship. Keeping Queer|Art|Mentorship project-based also provides a manner by which to assess, and modify if necessary, the program’s long-term effectiveness in facilitating and supporting the actual creation of new work. 

Each cycle of Queer|Art|Mentorship culminates in an annual showcase of work produced by current Fellows. “THE QAM ANNUAL” includes screenings, readings, performances, and a gallery exhibition.

Curator-in-residence – Fellows in Curatorial Practice apply to participate in this program

The program is largely driven by the unique character of each Mentor/Fellow pairing, organized through individual monthly meetings. Fellows also meet each month as a group in an environment that provides an opportunity for sharing ideas across disciplines and gathering further support among peers. The entire group of Mentor/Fellow pairs also convenes for two dinners throughout the cycle, hosted by Queer|Art. Throughout the year, Queer|Art staff engage in an ongoing dialogue with the Mentors and Fellows in an effort to ensure that the program best serves its participants. Further opportunities for ongoing career education and development will be sought out as the unique needs of each group of Fellows are assessed.

The program culminates with a public showcase in the format of an exhibition, live event, and accompanying publication—known as the QAM Annual—in which a manifestation of each Fellow’s practice and Mentorship project will be presented. While projects may be in-progress and do not need to be “finished” by the end of the program, participation in the QAM Annual provides structure for marking tangible progress as an outcome of the program. 

Fellows in Curatorial Practice can expect to engage with their peers working in Film, Literature, Performance, and Visual Art throughout the program and take a leading role in the curatorial process for organizing the QAM Annual, which has its own dedicated budget. Working closely with their Mentor and Queer|Art staff, Curatorial Fellows gain valuable experience engaging with artists across different fields of creative practice and will have completed the planning and production of an exhibition, live event, and accompanying publication as a guaranteed outcome of their fellowship.

 

Access to Space and Resources

QUEER|ART|AWARDS is an initiative of grants, prizes, and residencies that includes a spectrum of support—monetary and otherwise—for LGBTQ+ artists.

QUEER|ART|PRIZE
Made possible through Queer|Art’s ongoing partnership with HBO, Queer|Art|Prize presents two $10,000 awards to LGBTQ artists based in the United States: one for Sustained Achievement and the other for Recent Work.

BARBARA HAMMER LESBIAN EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKING GRANT
This annual $6,000 grant will be awarded to self-identified lesbians for making visionary moving-image art. 

EVA YAA ASANTEWAA GRANT FOR QUEER WOMEN(+) DANCE ARTISTS
This annual $10,000 grant will be awarded to queer women for making cutting-edge dance and/or movement-based performance work.

ROBERT GIARD GRANT FOR EMERGING LGBTQ+ PHOTOGRAPHERS
Through a new partnership with The Robert Giard Foundation, Queer|Art’s first international grant of $10,000 supports the creation of work by emerging LGBTQ+ photographers whose projects address issues of sexuality, gender, or LGBTQ+ identity.

 

Special Programs

QUEER|ART|FILM 

a monthly screening series held at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village in which some of New York’s most unique artists present and discuss the films that have most inspired them.

QUEER|ART|PRIDE is an annual summer showcase of new and recently completed work by Alumni of Queer|Art|Mentorship.

The QUEER|ART COMMUNITY PORTRAIT PROJECT is an annual commission of digital portraits, celebrating artists who are part of our diverse and vibrant community.