Queer + Art + Sustainable = Dirtstar 2011

by Masha

This year, artist and “visual top” (a variation of the word curator Caitlin reserves for her own managerial style) Caitlin Sweet is part of a collective called Dirtstar. As the June’s Pride happenings are appearing on the horizon Dirtstar is putting on a showcase of brave and brilliant queer artists for the 2011 National Queer Arts Festival. NQAF now in its 14th year, is a month-long festival of music, dance, visual art, literature, performance, comedy, theater, and film featuring hundreds of queer artists. As always, NQAF is happening on the shores of the legitimately famed gay city of them all- San Francisco!

The visual art show is opening June 2 and lasts through June 19. You can BUY TICKETS to the Closing Performance Event scheduled for Sunday June 19, 5-7pm, however no one will be turned away for lack of funds. The visual component of the showcase, the Take Root exhibition, is flanked by a breathtaking array of performances and workshops along with other happenings. All I can say is folks, keep your ears close to the ground. 

I need to do little talking in presenting Caitlin Sweet. She does such a fantastic and powerful job herself. That is why the feature of this post is a brand spankin’ new interview I did with this queer Jane-of-all-trades. It’s been my honor to know this woman from my days in SF. She is fiercely intelligent, outspoken and sexy- a welcome fixture to any LGBT community. But most of all, she had done a fine job curating this trailblazing show for us queers. Please enjoy!

Dirtstar Photo by Arrow (Ami Puri); Clockwise from 12 o'clock: mab, Amar/a, Lex Non-scripta, Caitlin Sweet.

M: This is your first year participating- is that right?

C: I did an installation in Dirtstar last year, which led one of the organizers to ask me to help for this year.

M: Who and what is Dirtstar?

Dan Choi Beaten and Arrested in Moscow

LGBT Activist Dan Choi was beaten and arrested by neo-nazis and Moscow cops for walking peacefully in Moscow’s LGBT Pride Parade. Americablog asks you to sign Mr. Choi’s open letter to Hillary Clinton to speak out against this human rights violation.

Lesbians in the Great Depression

by Angela

Debbie Grossman has re-imagined 1940’s Pie Towners as self-sufficient, God-fearin’, lesbian homesteaders by way of Photoshop in her newest body of work  that was on display at the Julie Saul Gallery in New York City. I think overall the installation is eyebrow raising and gorgeous and not to be missed (don’t worry, the link to Grossman’s page has the collection in .jpg format). But overall, her comment on the lack of lesbian family documentation during this period is weakened by her medium.

When I first read about this installation I had a negative reaction. Over and over again during my discourse about the project I kept hearing viewers say “If our history doesn’t exist in documented photographs, isn’t it wonderful to see what it could have been like?”. Call me a Negative Nancy if you will, but I kept saying no no no!

API Wellness’ 2011 BLOOM Event

by Kevyn

I got invited to attend API Wellness Center’s annual charity event, Bloom, last Thursday the 19th, and it was a fun event filled with love, champagne, and Asians. It’s always comforting to see a community come together and donate for a good cause. A lot of the board members have been working with API Wellness for last couple of decades and it was fun to hang out with them and others at the San Fransisco Design Center which is truly a beautiful venue. BLOOM is one of the, if not the, biggest charity events geared towards the API LGBT communities in the US, and it was an honor be apart of such an event.

What is that you ask? What is the API Wellness Center? I will tell you.

Ikea Assembly Instructions For A Lesbian Bar

by Tin

I love Ikea. There, I said it. But as much as I love their (relatively) cheap yet sleek furniture I loathe the assembly process because I suck at following instructions the instructions are unnecessarily convoluted. But after seeing how others have created Ikea instructions for EVERYTHING and even one for a lesbian relationship, I decided to have a little fun and make one of my own.

Behold the Ikea Assembly Instructions for a Lesbian Bar:

Some of you may not agree with my version of a lesbian bar.

Fine then, make your own!

[Disclaimer: This post is NOT endorsed by Pabst Brewing Company]

k.d. lang + Cindy Crawford

by Masha

Was k. d. lang’s newest album, Sing it Loud, released this April on your radar?

Perhaps I am not the singers’ target audience, because I learned of the album by complete chance rather than fandom.  When I was picking up my Pike’s Place coffee at the Starbucks counter about a week ago, one of those free iTunes cards at was staring up at me. As a kid who heard “Constant Craving” on the airwaves during the era of candy-coated (and delicious!) soft rock and early hip-hop, I could not come to appreciate her.  The lyrics were serious, the
music video black and white and tone frankly tragic!

Texans Defend Gay Parents

This is an absolutely fascinating experiment to show how random folks in a Dallas diner feel about LGBT parenting. Check it out!

Gay Zombies

by Quentin

Gay zombie movies are a new genre pioneered by Canadian bad boy of queer cinema Bruce LaBruce. Currently, there are 2 movies I know of in this sub genre, started by Bruce LaBruce’s gay art-house hit Otto; or, Up with Dead People. Otto is less of a horror flick and more of a quirky teenage coming-of-age movie about a gay teen zombie named Otto. For whatever it is, it’s more of an experimental art film than the traditional zombie movie that you’d be expecting.

If you’re in the mood for something artsy and unique, definitely check out Otto. But be forewarned that it is not what you’d expect from a zombie movie or a horror film.

Don’t Panic! 13 Things You Must Do Before the Rapture

by Angela

Since I’m sure all of you amazing Queerious readers will be leaving us tomorrow night  because of Harold Camping’s prediction of the second coming of Jesus H. Christ at 6p.m. (no time zone, I mean duh, that was invented WAY after JC left us the first time) I thought I would come up with 13 must-do things for your last day on Earth (because I know you’re all going to be on the VIP list for the chosen). If you happen to be one of the unlucky unchosen, according to Camping you will be stuck here for the zombie apocalypse until October 21st (<– P.S. that is a link to the Center for Disease Control website with info on what to do if you find yourself in the midst of a Z.A.).

If you’re fairly certain you’re heading off to the that server in the sky you’ve got 24 hours left on Earth. And that’s a lot to plan for. Lucky for you, I’ve already made your final to-do list, and it leaves plenty of time for spontaneity. My list excludes awesome things that would require travel, because who wants to waste their last hours in line at the airport? This is a link-heavy post, so be sure to open plenty-o-tabs on your browser. If you don’t know how to do that then I’m sure you’ve got waitin’-for-Jesus-plans already so don’t worry your pretty little head.

13. Part your hair on the other side.  According to an episode of Radiolab, how we view ourselves in the mirror vs. how people in the world see us is completely different. A study showed no one would have trusted Abraham Lincoln if he had parted his hair on the other side. See if this little makeover will disguise you well enough to get into/out of the Rapture.

12. Listen to this. While you’re taming your tresses (or skimming this post), take a listen to the 24-hours-to-live playlist I made on Youtube. It’ll make you giggle, reflect, and of course,  seek salvation.

2011 Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival

by Kevyn

Aloha! Just got back from the 22nd Annual Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival and I am definitely more tan than when I first arrived. I haven’t been back to Hawaii since 2009 but everything is the same just as I left it. Brent Anbe and Daniel Chun did an amazing job coordinating everything and I definitely saw some pretty entertaining films while I was there.

NBC’s Smash…Will it live up to it’s name?

by Lewis

NBC is offering previews for their 2011/2012 television season and I couldn’t help but get excited about  “Smash,” a musical drama that turns its lens behind the scenes of the creation of a Broadway production.  The trailer is pretty sharp but will it work and how queer will it be?  The show is set to be a mid-season replacement, as the pilot has just been picked up and they are currently filming. “Smash” could work because of:

The talent: Features Debra Messing of (“Will & Grace”) fame, Katherine McPhee ( “American Idol”),  Megan Hilty (“9 to 5: the Musical”),  Brian D’Arcy James (“Next to Normal”), Angelika Houston.

The One to Watch: It’s a strong cast but keep an eye on Megan Hilty. Not only is she  a total sweetheart but girl has some serious pipes.  She easily stepped into Dolly Parton’s high heels to play the beloved Doralee by equally paying homage yet making the character her own!

Queer meter: The trailer alone features queer comedian Kate Clinton, Katherine McPhee’s character auditions with “Over the Rainbow” from the Wizard of Oz, from the folks who brought you Chicago and Hairspray: queer producers Craig Zadan, Neil Meron and Marc Shaiman, who also writes some of the music…and it’s about the creative process of Broadway = GAY!

QWOCMAP!

by Tin

As some of my fellow bloggers will agree, being an independent filmmaker is no picnic. Being a queer woman of color and a filmmaker is even more difficult for obvious reasons that deserve a whole different blog, no, an entire essay to discuss. That is why a non-profit organization such as the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) exists. Their mission is to promote “the creation, exhibition and distribution of new films and videos that increase the visibility of queer women of color, authentically reflect our life stories, and address the vital social justice issues that concern our communities.”

I have yet to have the fortune of participating in one of their amazing FREE filmmaking workshops (four each year) “specifically for youth (ages 18 to 25), queer folks of color who are butch/genderqueer/transgender, Asian/Pacific Islander (API), Black/African descent, and Chicanas/Latinas.”

Support the Freedom to Love

Here’s one of the best LGBT PSAs made by the acclaimed Singaporean filmmaker Boo Jun Feng whose debut feature Sandcastle premiered at Cannes last year.