Queer | Art Brings LGBTQ Generations Together through “After Mentorship”

Written by | Art & Design, HIV

men entwined in head-to-toe position

How can we, as a community, replace a generation of artists decimated by AIDS? Provincetown Queer | Art may have an answer.

Want to celebrate the creativity and diversity of the LGBTQ community in one of our meccas? Check out the new exhibition Queer | Art “After Mentorship”, which will be open until August 19th, 2018. This rich, colorful presentation will showcase different styles and mediums of artistic expression (from painting to photography) created by mentors and fellows participating in the Queer| Art | Mentorship Program.

Queer|Art, the organization hosting this new exhibition, was founded in 2009 with the intention of fostering a new generation of LGBTQ artists that lost its mentors to the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. The mentorship program, founded in 2010, assists LGBTQ artists of all ages to find new perspectives, stories, and identities — to explore the depth and range of their creative voices. The program has become a way for LGBTQ artists not only to engage those of other generations, but also honor those who came before them in the community for the world they live in today.

The “After Mentorship” program, which is slated to gradually open three full exhibitions over the course of the summer, program began in July:

Liz Collin and Anna Campbell

The opening exhibition showcased Liz Collin (mentor) and Anna Campbell, who explore the boundaries between painting, fiber arts, and installation. Their work manipulates texture, color, and scale to createsvibrant fields that invite viewers to envision a radical future.

art installation

Photo courtesy Liz Collins

Pamela Sneed and Heather Lynn Johnson

The second exhibition, by Pamela Sneed (mentor) and Heather Lynn Johnson, opened on July 20. Sharing focuses on pattern, gesture, and memory, their work explores the complex meanings of race, gender, sexual orientation, and economic class through lyrical imagery and written word — seeking to express what it means to be “other” in a consumerist society.

Geoffrey Chadsey and Troy Michie

The third and final exhibition — open as of August 10 — is a collection of life-size portraits by Geoffrey Chadsey (mentor) and Troy Michie. These portraits highlight the masculine and effeminate in their subjects to explore gender in addition to race and sexuality. In particular, Michie’s work offers an intriguing at the human figure, deconstructing it through photography and collage. (Geoffrey Chadsey’s art is featured at the top of the page)

photo montage portrait

Photo courtesy Troy Michie

Queer | Art also holds a variety of programs and exhibitions, such as their successful Queer | Art | Film Series — held monthly at the IFC in lower Manhattan.

Are you a fan of queer art? Meet ten of the LGBTQ artists who rocked Metrosource’s “Reclaiming My Pride” art contest.

More on the Provincetown art scene

Tell Us What You Think in the Comment Box Below

Last modified: August 15, 2018