Alberta LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce’s Post

Check out my recent collection of illustrations celebrating Queer & Trans love and self acceptance!

Metamorphosis in Sculpture: Mason Weiss’s Queer Odyssey BANNED! Please help us fight the algorithm by liking, sharing, and subscribing! For contemporary transgender artist Mason Weiss, art is a journey of metamorphosis deeply rooted in his queer identity. Weiss’s unique approach to sculpture involves textiles and beadwork, crafting self-portraits and interactive pieces that are both a reclamation of personal history and a break from societal norms. His “freestyle stitching” technique eschews traditional patterns, mirroring the liberating essence of queerness. Childhood memorabilia inspires his work, blending playful nostalgia with personal narratives, creating a new mythology that fosters understanding and compassion. We hope this episode reaches you and you will share it with everyone you know. Unfortunately, our social media is being censored, and we are restricted on most platforms for the content we publish. Queer bodies. Queer stories. Queer people. We are f'cking here. We are Queer. Get f'cking used to it, FASCISTS! Today, your curator cannot mask his disdain for the cruelty humanity enacts upon its most vulnerable. ACTUP. FIGHT BACK. END FASCISM!

A Thousand Channels – a queer (*) mapping 🌎 platform 🎁 “The diverse social and political activities of queer people are mostly fleeting, temporary and not a natural part of the public image of a city. With A 1000 channels, we are developing a platform that offers queer actors, groups and projects a way to report on these spaces and events and make them visible.” (*) = “Pride flag variant based on Daniel Quasar's 2018 design combining elements of the Philadelphia flag and the trans pride flag, and brown and black” (that is what you get when you +c and +v the emoji from the article) https://lnkd.in/eHd6JB6p

"The Many West Artists Shape an American Idea" exhibit showcases a fresh perspective on the American West through the eyes of 48 modern and contemporary artists, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds like black, indigenous, Asian American, Latinx, and LGBTQ communities. It challenges stereotypes, explores neglected histories, and highlights the various communities contributing to the region's past and present. The centerpiece, "The Fallen," a vibrant acrylic canvas with concealed mask imagery, symbolizes the struggle for identity, resonating with the digital age's concept of double consciousness. This exhibit's relevance to our civic participation campaign, #digitaldivide, is striking. It parallels the fragmented identities portrayed in the artwork with the disconnection experienced by those lacking access to modern technology. The artists' journey towards freedom and self-expression in 2018 mirrors our campaign's mission to bridge the digital gap, empowering marginalized communities. Visiting this exhibit deepens one's understanding of the digital divide's importance. It reinforces our campaign's urgency in providing equitable technology access, enabling everyone to engage fully in the modern world. "The Many West Artists Shape an American Idea" eloquently intertwines art, identity, and social justice in today's digital era, making it a powerful catalyst for change. This exhibit not only enriches personal understanding but also strengthens our commitment to creating a more inclusive digital landscape. #SmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum #DigitalDivide

🎨 United Nations Human Rights, together with Minority Rights Group International and Freemuse, kick off the 2024 Edition of the International Contest for Minority Artists! This year, the theme is "Memory in the Present." Minority artists working on the theme of minorities and memory in the present are invited to apply to the 2024 edition of the International Contest for Minority Artists. The effective exercise of minority rights is intimately linked with visions and understanding of history in the present. Minority inclusion is frequently driven by public understanding of society as welcoming diversity. Minority exclusion, by contrast, often derives from an understanding of “our history” which defines minorities outside the circle of the legitimate. At the same time, minorities often carry with them the imprint of unrectified historical injustice. The international human rights system has increasingly grappled with public memory as a condition of human rights-based justice. For example, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence has held that memorialization is a pillar of transitional justice, and necessary to address contemporary forms of exclusion and discrimination, including those facing minority communities. @freemuse.98 ⏳ Deadline: 15 February 2024 #artistsatrisk #artisticfreedom #safehavensfreedomtalks 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dbHX8NkM

Check out this great article on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s efforts around the Equality Ball.

Check this out to learn more about how the team is working towards a more inclusive motion design industry!

"Notes on the Curator's Queer Research Methods" is the final section of the digital exhibition "Out in the Archives: An Exploration of LGBTQ+ History at Union College." This section offers concrete pieces of advice to future researchers of queer history, particularly those who are navigating the challenges of using a formal, institutional archive to attempt to piece together a narrative. My list of advice draws on my own experiences conducting historical research on queer subjects, as I found that many “normative” archival and academic research practices did not apply to the methods I ended up employing, and it also draws on insights from theorists and professionals in the fields of queer theory and archival theory. If you are interested in my insights on the liberatory potential of critical and reparative archival description, the importance of rejecting assumptions of "neutrality" or "objectivity" in collecting, describing, and researching alike, and other invaluable concepts, you can check out my writing here: https://lnkd.in/gUprky49. Thank you!

🌈 Our annual Arcus Pride Art exhibition has become one of the largest corporate supported exhibitions of art works by LGBT+ and supporter artists. It is a truly global celebration, with events and exhibitions taking place across the firm's global network each year. With the theme "Pride Without Borders," we are eager to create a platform that celebrates the diverse talents of LGBTQ+ artists and their allies in the region. Therefore, this year rather than curate a collection from established artists, we wanted to add a special touch to the event and are looking for submissions from local schools, universities and artists. Our panel of creative industry experts will select the top three pieces from each of our chosen categories. The winning artwork will be displayed during our annual Pride Art Show held at our Newcastle office on Thursday, 6 June 2024 and for the duration of Pride month. How to submit an entry? Our 2024 theme is 'Pride without Borders', a statement of solidarity and a beacon of inclusivity. We stand together, proud, and unapologetic, celebrating love and identity in all its forms. We have three categories that are open to entrants: Category 1: Rising Stars (open to students in Year 12-13) Category 2: Aspiring Innovators (open to undergraduates/postgraduates) Category 3: Artistic Collective (open to any LGBT+ artists and ally artists who do not fall into categories 1 or 2) All mediums accepted. Please send a photo or a scan of your entry to Jen.Longstaff@cliffordchance.com & Katie.Mcwilliams@cliffordchance.com including: 1. The category you are submitting your piece under 2. Dimensions of your artwork 3. A short biography as to the background to the piece and yourself as an artist. If your piece is digital, please send it as either a JPEG or TIFF file. Please include the current school or university you attend if applicable All entries must be submitted by the 10 May 2024. The winning three entries from each category will be on display however, we may choose other notable entries to display in addition.

✨ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠? ✨ After coming out of my dark and beautiful closet professionally, I received many questions, such as: "You are a woman, right? How can you do Drag if you were born an AFAB (assigned female at birth) woman?" So, I thought I would explain it a bit. Drag is a form of art with a long and deep history. It began in ancient Greece when theatre started, and women were not allowed to play theatre roles, even though there were female roles in the plays. Back then, it was, of course, not called drag yet. Fast forward to the 1930s, and it slowly began to be known as Drag. However, the exact origins vary depending on the source. One thing is quite clear: it is an old form of art and expression. In Dutch, we have just one word for cross-dressing and Drag, "Travestie," but in English, there are two. The difference is that Drag is on stage and has more of a show element, whereas cross-dressing is mainly indoors, involving wearing the other gender's daily clothes. This, of course, is a very brief summary, and there is much more to it. Drag is an art form that is about playing with gender, which is strongly related to but not exclusively part of LGBTQIA+. It's about telling stories, fighting and protesting, entertainment and performance. It's about make-up, performing, making costumes, etc. A great Drag performer requires a very broad range of skills. Drag has always been for any gender, as gender is something fluid. Wwhich makes it a beautiful and touching art form. So, Drag is for everyone, including women doing "Drag Queen". In the famous words of RuPaul, "Everybody is born naked, and the rest is Drag." Feel free to follow me on Instagram @Iamlillyakuma or Youtube: @Lillyakuma 📸 by Jasper van Staveren photography 👑 Other Queen - Marry Jane Holland 📍 Blend XL, Amsterdam #Diversity #Inclusion #Education