Awards Erin Markey Will Emcee Inaugural Queer/Art/Prize, Recognizing Achievements of LGBTQ Artists The awards, which come with a $10,000 cash prize, will be granted at the November 2 ceremony celebrating LGBTQ artists across disciplines.

By Adam Hetrick

October 31, 2017

LGBTQ artists whose work has made a significant contribution to queer culture will be celebrated during the inaugural Queer/Art/Prize ceremony, which will take place November 2 at Hudson Mercantile. The inaugural awards are supported by HBO.

Two U.S.-based LGBTQ artists will be honored in the categories of Sustained Achievement and Recent Work, respectively. Each honor comes with a $10,000 cash prize.

The Sustained Achievement award will be granted to Los Angeles-based photographer Catherine Opie. Finalists for the Recent Work award, honoring specific projects, include Yance Ford for his documentary Strong Island (2017); Reina Gossett for The Personal Things (2016), an animated short tribute to trans activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy; Kia LaBeija for her photographic Self Portraits (2016-2017); and Sarah Schulman for Conflict Is Not Abuse (2016).

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Queer/Art/Prize was created by the NYC non-profit Queer|Art, which was founded in 2009 to support a generation of LGBTQ artists who lost mentors to the AIDS crisis. Through its various mentoring programs and grants, Queer|Art aims to foster a diverse and vibrant community of LGBTQ art and artists across generations and disciplines.

Erin Markey (God Hates This Show, Assassins) will emcee the 7:30 PM ceremony that will include performances and installations highlighting the work of artists who have participated in Queer|Art’s programs. Video installations will feature excerpts from Charles Ludlam’s once-lost 1987 camp film Museum of Wax, starring Everett Quinton; as well as music videos from Tony nominee Justin Vivian Bond, and M. Lamar.

The awards will also showcase The Queer|Art Community Portrait Project—an installation commissioned specifically for the event—featuring a series of recent portraits of influential artists and organizers from the Queer|Art community, by photographer Eric McNatt.

Among the artists to have participated in Queer|Arts programs are Paris Is Burning documentary filmmaker Jennie Livingston, Justin Vivian Bond, John Kelly, Everett Quinton, Angela Dufresne, Avram Finkelstein, Justin Sayre, and more.

Visit queer-art.org.