CALL FOR ENTRIES
Providence, Rhode Island has a gay mayor, legal bathhouses, and legal prostitution. It also has a thirty-year old Gay Pride festival. Why, then, isn’t there a larger queer community?
Perhaps it’s because the dominant gay community actually ignores far more people than it includes. This June, a Providence art event seeks to question what it means to be proud in 2008.
It’s called The Dirty Gay Picture Show, and it’s open to local and non-local artists of any gender or orientation who deal in subject matter relevant to gay and/or queer communities. More specifically, this show will focus on works that evaluate the current state of gay identity.
Every summer, cities across the world have festivals proclaiming Gay Pride. Begun in the early 1970’s to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, the parades and parties have morphed into hedonistic celebrations of gayness. Today, mainstream movies and television shows feature openly gay characters who (sometimes) aren’t mincing dandies, while networks and advertisers target gay audiences, and gay men are even being used as indicators of real estate value.
However, an increasing number of queer individuals–gay males included–have become disenchanted with the concept of Pride. Many feel that the celebration is only suitable to a certain kind of gay white male, while other queer people are left out. Women, transgendered individuals, queers of color, and even gay men are ignored if they are “too fat,” “too fem,” or “too straight.”
Even the dominant (white male) gay community faces an array of serious issues, from racism and transphobia to drugs to marriage rights and an alarming increase in unsafe sex practices. Unfortunately, these issues tend to be ignored, especially during Pride season, when flag-waving and partying hinder any opportunity for serious discussion.
The Dirty Gay Picture Show wants to showcase the work of artists of all genders and orientations who feel marginalized by the dominant gay community, as well as those who simply seek an alternative to mainstream gay culture.
To submit work, please e-mail yurigellerbentme@gmail.com with your name, location, a brief biography, and brief description of the work (or proposed work.)
Work requirements:
VISUAL ARTISTS
- up to three submissions (jpegs of at least 300 dpi, no larger than 2MG each) via e-mail or CD
- art to be hung should be no larger than 24X24
- if submitting a proposal for new work, include three examples of recent completed work
- while not a requirement, smaller, affordable pieces are strongly encouraged
WRITERS
- up to 25 pages of prose or 10 pages of poetry (Word or Rich Text format if e-mailed)
FILM/VIDEO ARTISTS
- complete works of any length should be sent by mail in either DVD or VHS format
- e-mail entries will be accepted if the work is available online.
The deadline for entries is May 5. Any questions should be directed to yurigellerbentme@gmail.com
