AwardsErin Markey Will Emcee Inaugural Queer/Art/Prize, Recognizing Achievements of LGBTQ ArtistsThe awards, which come with a $10,000 cash prize, will be granted at the November 2 ceremony celebrating LGBTQ artists across disciplines.
By
Adam Hetrick
October 31, 2017
Erin Markey
LGBTQ artists whose work has made a significant contribution to queer culture will be celebrated during the inaugural Queer/Art/Prize ceremony, which will take place November 2 at Hudson Mercantile. The inaugural awards are supported by HBO.
Justin Vivian Bond
Eric McNatt
Two U.S.-based LGBTQ artists will be honored in the categories of Sustained Achievement and Recent Work, respectively. Each honor comes with a $10,000 cash prize.
The Sustained Achievement award will be granted to Los Angeles-based photographer Catherine Opie. Finalists for the Recent Work award, honoring specific projects, include Yance Ford for his documentary Strong Island (2017); Reina Gossett for The Personal Things (2016), an animated short tribute to trans activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy; Kia LaBeija for her photographic Self Portraits (2016-2017); and Sarah Schulman for Conflict Is Not Abuse (2016).
Queer/Art/Prize was created by the NYC non-profit Queer|Art, which was founded in 2009 to support a generation of LGBTQ artists who lost mentors to the AIDS crisis. Through its various mentoring programs and grants, Queer|Art aims to foster a diverse and vibrant community of LGBTQ art and artists across generations and disciplines.
Erin Markey (God Hates This Show, Assassins) will emcee the 7:30 PM ceremony that will include performances and installations highlighting the work of artists who have participated in Queer|Art’s programs. Video installations will feature excerpts from Charles Ludlam’s once-lost 1987 camp film Museum of Wax, starring Everett Quinton; as well as music videos from Tony nominee Justin Vivian Bond, and M. Lamar.
The awards will also showcase The Queer|Art Community Portrait Project—an installation commissioned specifically for the event—featuring a series of recent portraits of influential artists and organizers from the Queer|Art community, by photographer Eric McNatt.
Among the artists to have participated in Queer|Arts programs are Paris Is Burning documentary filmmaker Jennie Livingston, Justin Vivian Bond, John Kelly, Everett Quinton, Angela Dufresne, Avram Finkelstein, Justin Sayre, and more.
