The Louisiana Queer Arts Festival will take place June 5-8 in multiple locations throughout New Orleans, and will feature art exhibitions, an artists’ fair, two panel discussions, and film screenings. All events are free and open to the public.
Produced by the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana (AP), Louisiana Queer Arts (LQA) will officially launch at that organization’s annual membership meeting on June 5 at 7:00pm at the Dodwell House, 1519 Esplanade Ave.
After a summary of the Archives Project’s accomplishments over the last year, the AP will present its annual Stewart Butler/Alfred Doolittle Award for Contributions to Queer History to pioneering lesbian artist Barbara Scott. This will be followed by a panel discussion on the life, work, and art of John Burton Harter. Panelists include Ron Joullian, Brian Sands, Sean Svetlik, and Bradley Sumrall with Noel Twilbeck as moderator. The evening will also feature exhibits of Scott’s and Harter’s work.
On Friday, June 6, LQA will offer a screening of George Dureau: New Orleans Artist at The Williams Research Center of The Historic New Orleans Collection (410 Chartres St.) Filmmakers Sergio Andres Lobo-Navia and Jarret Lofstead will be present to introduce the film. Admission is free but registration is required. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfM3IDHeH4bxxUJ0V-9cP7SrpzH0n_lyQR1MJOz2AevsnSwoA/viewform )
The festival moves to the Marigny Opera House, 725 St. Ferdinand, on Saturday, June 7. The Artists’ Fair and Exhibition will be open from 11:00am to 6:00pm and feature the works of Ryne Stoned, Colin Robinson, Bobby White, Kristi Knipe, Vernell Dunams, Hope Hickman and Taylor Sacco. Photographs by George Dureau, on loan from the Arthur Roger Gallery, will also be on exhibit. The day concludes with a panel discussion on the history of queer visual arts in Louisiana. Panelists include Arthur Roger, Meg Turner, and David Campbell.
LQA concludes on Sunday, June 8, at 1:00pm at the Broad Theater for sneak peeks of queer films currently in production. Filmmakers will be on-hand to introduce their works and show clips. Films include: Valda Lewis’s documentary From Where We Stood: AIDS and the Culture Wars, and Lasse Lau & Flo Maak’s short documentary Bachelors Only.
Louisiana Queer Arts is made possible by the generous support of the following sponsors: John Burton Harter Foundation, Threadhead Cultural Foundation, New Orleans City Council Culture and Recreation Fund, The Historic New Orleans Collection, The LGBTQ Fund, St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, David Campbell, the Crossing bar, the Arthur Roger Gallery, The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, Sir Speedy, and Ambush Magazine.
