Arts & Entertainment
‘Queer Objectivity’ exhibit continues at UMD
Curator Kris Grey to give lecture Tuesday on ‘Queering the Body’
‘Censorship Protest Mask (David Wojnarowicz)” by L.J. Roberts, embroidery on cotton, a 2011 work that is part of the ‘Queer Objectivity’ exhibit. (Image courtesy the gallery)
Sometimes in art exhibits, it’s hard to pin down the sexual orientation of the artists. This happens in other fields as well — folks argue the art should speak for itself — but that sure ain’t the case with “Queer Objectivity,” an exhibition curated by Kris Grey at the Stamp Gallery at the University of Maryland at College Park.
“Queer Objectivity” is a curated exhibition that brings together 16 emerging and established artists diverse in their identities, experiences, materials and approaches. Some of the artwork exhibited addresses the body in relation to objects. Others may present the body as an object itself. Still further, some work presents objects as conduit for the body to another realm. There will be a range of artwork displayed including photography, sculpture, performance and new media.
“Recent scholarship in material studies and phenomenology has challenged the traditional notion that human bodies are stable entities divorced from other objects in the material world,” Grey writes in an introductory statement. “The elevation of queer theory to academic prominence and the emergence of new types of feminism have further complicated the separation between personal and political — bodies and objects. Materially, the human body is comprised of separate, interacting, individual elements and forces that are often reduced to being seen as one. So too, the intricacies of bodies and their relationship to other objects, animated or not, get flattened into a binaristic body/other dichotomy.”
Artists featured in this ambitious exhibition include AK Burns, Heather Cassils, Nicolaus Chaffin, Mary Coble, Lauren Denitzio, Brendan Fernandes, Kris Grey, Gordon Hall, Katie Hubbard, JJ McCracken, Cupid Ojala, LJ Roberts, Coral Short, Caitlin Rose Sweet, Tobaron Waxman and Jade Yumang.
The exhibit runs through Dec. 6. On Tuesday evening (Nov. 19), Grey, a genderqueer artist, will give a lecture on the exhibit at 6:30 p.m. in the Herman Maril Gallery in the Art/Soc Building.
The Stamp Gallery is on the first floor of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union-Center for Campus Life at the University of Maryland at College park. The gallery is free and open to the public Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fridays from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, visit thestamp.mud.edu/gallery.
The D.C. Front Runners held the 14th annual 5K Pride Run at Congressional Cemetery on Saturday, June 6.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Books
‘Mighty Real’ explores history of LGBTQ music
From Judas Priest to Whitney, something for every taste
‘Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music, 1969-2000’
By Barry Walters
c.2026, Viking
$35/496 pages
Step, step, tap, back step.
Shimmy in a circle, left hand waving over your head, shake your tail feathers, repeat to the beat. Once there was a time when you could do any dance in your sleep, but it’s been a while. So read “Mighty Real” by Barry Walters, and see if your toes don’t tap.
Fifty-seven years after Stonewall, and here we are: LGBTQ musicians still face scrutiny for their sexuality because, says Walters, music isn’t created for gay listeners. No problem: LGBTQ artists and writers have often penned lyrics carefully in order to say what can’t be said, “coding” songs for gay audiences that straight (and ignorant) listeners can dance to and enjoy with apparent obliviousness.
Walters offers “just a few” examples.
Lou Reed sang about trans people in the late ‘60s and offered a rallying song for the Gay Liberation Front in 1972, the latter of which felt like a message to a then-11-year-old Walters. Janis Joplin claimed she was straight, but she had several girlfriends. Motown singers often offered sometimes-ambiguous lyrics.
John Lennon’s hand placement on the back cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band made Walters begin to understand that he was different from other boys.
David Bowie is on his list, of course, as is Bette Midler, Elton John, Donna Summer, and Queen. You’ll find Judas Priest here, Green Day, and punk music. The Village People are included in this book, also Grace Jones, Duran Duran, and Cher, Whitney, Melissa, Latifah, and the lyrics from several blockbuster movies.
Two of Prince’s band members were lesbians, and they heavily influenced his albums. Diana Ross’s “I’m Coming Out” cemented her position in LGBTQ culture, and Michael Jackson’s inclusion here takes much careful consideration.
Read about Olivia Newton-John and the B52s. And then there’s Sylvester, for whom Walters has a soft spot in his heart. Sylvester’s death still makes Walters cry.
In his preface, author and music writer Barry Walters points out that music is what you make it and that it’s interpreted differently by each individual. To that end, this book naturally consists of preferential history and personal opinions about singers, bands, albums, and songs.
Agree or disagree. That’s where much of the appeal lies in “Mighty Real.”
Here, Walters wraps his memories around his choices, giving readers room for their own views, memories, and list making. Music-loving readers might also be surprised to note who’s not on Walters’ list – there aren’t many country performers here, for example, and the overall list focuses entirely on music from roughly 1968 to the year 2000, mostly on the kinds of songs you’ll want at the club or party. Again, discuss, and curate your own playlist.
This is a hefty book, but the chapters are browse-able and generally short enough to read in under five minutes. It’s nostalgic, yet also serious in the history it presents. This is the kind of book you want to leave near your album collection, or wherever you get your tunes. But finding “Mighty Real” is your first step.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.
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(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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