Category Archives: Artist Profiles

Putting the spotlight on some of the most talented and cutting edge queer and trans artists and performers in the country.

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Collaborative Mosaic Mural and Painting Series by Artists Erin McCullough and Ashira Siegel

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Erin McCullough, a mosaic artist with Down Syndrome, has been staying in Los Angeles for the month of July to do a summer arts internship and public mural project with LA based artist Ashira Siegel at Jeffrey Foundation Early Education School in the Mid-City are of Los Angeles. This project received full funding through Indiegogo and has resulted in hundreds of drawings, a new body of paintings and a mosaic mural in the entry way of The Jeffrey Foundation. Erin McCullough is one half of Picklefish Productions, a mother daughter team of mosaic artists based in Carlsbad, NM, who have been working on mosaics projects for about 10 years. Ashira Siegel creates multimedia work merging various printing and dying techniques, collage, assemblage, photography, video, glass, ceramics, sewing and sculpture. She has completed numerous collaborative art projects as part of her work with Swoon’s collective “Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea,” and Andrea Zittel’s “Panelshop” and “Smockshop” projects. Jeffrey Foundation Early Education School is a nonprofit institution that helps young children with disabilities to prepare for for inclusion in public schools at little or no cost to their families.

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"Ian MacKinnon's Gay Hist-Orgy" Saves Queer History

“Ian MacKinnon’s Gay Hist-Orgy” Is Something To Be Proud Of

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“Ian MacKinnon’s Gay Hist-Orgy” is a brilliant, side splitting and wonderfully sexy piece of storytelling and performance. Ian has distilled and spun queer world history, mythology, and folklore in a way that is titillating, inspiring, and easily palpable. While I often found myself saddened and angered by the erasure of our homo history Ian’s hilarious performance made me laugh and feel grateful to be a grownup queer with access to beautiful art that celebrates and investigates our queerly complex stories.

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Workshop on Wearable Electronics – Performing The Body, Sound and Erotics with Micha Cardenas and Elle Mehrmand,

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This workshop is facilitated by Micha Cardenas and Elle Mehrmand, members of Electronic Disturbance Theater.

Participants will create wearable electronics using the lilypad arduino, sensors, and sound. The workshop will consist of three days including performance, Puredata (Pd-extended) and open source electronics. Elle Mehrmand and Micha Cárdenas will share their experiences developing perfor…mance art using these tools. Participants will work towards developing a performance piece of their own/collaboration, and will have an opportunity for performing at the end of the workshop, if they choose to do so. To develop the performances the workshop will entail performance exercises inspired by Theater of the Oppressed, La Pocha Nostra and physical improvisation.

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Heidi Barton Stink Photo by Kevin O'Meara

Love Who: Falling For Hip Hop Artist, Heidi Barton Stink

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I fell in love with Heidi Barton Stink the very first time I heard her EP “The Familiar Pattern”. Heidi’s rhythms are clever and original, her flow is flawless and she raps about things that are relevant to nearly everyones lives: breaking free from shame, addiction, social justice and love…

Like many queers, I’ve had a long, complicated & tumultuous relationship with hip hop music. Growing up hip hop held a very important place as part of the sound track of my childhood: it was turntables, beat boxing and teenage boys break dancing on cardboard.

It was also where I got some of my very first lessons about sex and the roles of women and men… For a few years after I discovered feminism I didn’t think that hip hop had room for me to exist, until I began to discover “positive hip hop”.

While Too $hort may be one of my guiltiest pleasures, most days I’d much rather listen to Heidi Barton Stink… Heidi was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions for me.

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T-Gina Comics

An Interview With T-Gina Comic Creator Gina Kamentsky

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A few months ago I stumbled across the comic genius of multidisciplinary artist, Gina Kamensky. After much internet stalking and some deeply flattering emails (from me to her) I was able to set up a date to chat with this extremely talented woman.

We met at a little English Pub in Boston. Gina rode her bike and I had another dominatrix friend drop me off. She said she would be the one watching the tennis match inside. Televisions blared from every corner of the room but still I spotted her instantly (she was the only patron in the bar). “Try this!” she said handing me a glass of what looked like champagne. “It’s Pabst Blue Ribbon with 7-Up”. I tried not to wrinkle my nose. I wanted to like what Gina liked.

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