LGBTQ Artists CONVERGE, via Artists Archives

 

Melissa Bloom, CONVERGE Artist Portraits, acrylic on board, 5 X 5 inches

CONVERGE–It’s here. The massive exhibition of LGBTQ art, held in partnership with the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland, Lake Erie College, Judson Manor, and Cleveland MetroHealth. Shown across five venues and featuring 71 artists, CONVERGE brings together the diverse stories of the LGBTQ community, including the historically underrepresented voices of women, transgender people, and people of color.

As Chief Curator Kelly Pontoni explains, “CONVERGE is about community. It’s about the unique experiences of a people and a region expressed through their artwork, and coming together to form something greater than the sum of its parts. The show is a celebration of who we are, where we are going, and what we’ve overcome to get there.”

Accompanying the exhibition will be a full roster of events and programming which reflect themes of pride, protest, celebration, and transformation. Receptions will be held at four venues, including the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland on September 17, Cleveland MetroHealth (date TBA), and Lake Erie College on October 14.

On September 14, the Archives will host Un(masc)ing Drag History with Dr. Lady J, a non-binary trans woman who holds a doctorate from Case Western Reserve University and is “the world’s first drag queen with a PhD dissertation on drag history.” During this one-hour virtual program, Lady J will reveal the real roots of drag, highlighting the overlooked contributions of cisgender women, trans and gender non-confirming people, and people of color to an art form regularly—and incorrectly—attributed to white, cisgender gay men. Visit artistsarchives.org to register!

The Artists Archives will also be partnering with Cleveland MetroHealth to present a panel discussion on the relationship between art and the AIDS epidemic, including Daniel Marcus, co-curator of the powerhouse exhibition Art After Stonewall, as well as Gil Kudrin, an exhibiting CONVERGE artist and the longest-surviving AIDS patient in the United States. The panel will be moderated by Martha Pontoni, historic LGBTQ activist and former publisher of the Gay People’s Chronicle.

CONVERGE will also mark the first effort to extensively document the contributions of Ohio LGBTQ artists. To this end, the Artists Archives is raising funds to archive their first lesbian artist in honor of the tireless efforts of curator Kelly Pontoni and her wife, Martha. To see a preview of the exhibition and full schedule of events, visit artistsarchives.org. Donations can be made on our website, by emailing mindy@artistsarchives.org, or by calling 216-721-9020.

 

CONVERGE | LGBT CENTER RECEPTION 6:30-8:30PM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
LAKE ERIE COLLEGE CLOSING RECEPTION 6:30-8:30PM THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14

VIRTUAL: UN(MASC)ING DRAG HISTORY WITH DR. LADY J | 7- 8PM TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

VIRTUAL: ART & AIDS PANEL DISCUSSION | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER TBA

KINDRED SPIRITS: GLASS & CLAY | OPENING RECEPTION 5:30-8PM THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4

 

ARTISTS ARCHIVES OF THE WESTERN RESERVE
1834 East 123rd Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
artistsarchives.org
216.721.9020