Where was everyone Friday night? Well, if you're in NYC and Brooklyn even more specifically, it seems like at the opening night for Quorum Forum at an event called the PopUp Museum of Queer History.  It was, an incredibly crowded but ultimately very very cool event. I was really glad that I got to the house where the museum had been assembled as early as I did. It was crowded even then but I was able to make my way around and see a lot of the different art exhibits that had been made by fantastic local artists. I think my absolute favorite piece was  for/about the Sisters of  Perpetual Indulgence (right) which was not only beautiful but  had a very special sacredness to it.  I also quite liked the diorama of the Stonewall Riots constructed out of gingerbread (left).  There were video screenings, and puppet shows, and all manner of other art hanging on every available surface,including a queer history timeline that was installed on the floor! I feel like in the several hours I was there I managed to see most of the art but I know there were things (mostly the videos) that I just wasn't able to fully appreciate.

As a bit of a queer history nerd I was really excited to see an event be focused on looking at the history of our community, particularly the pieces of art that were exploring moments, and people that unlike Stonewall for example are somewhat unknown to most folks in the community.  The organizers described their goals and mission as:

"We seek to realize our own representations of queer history, because in light of the recent censorship of David Wojnarovicz's work at the National Portrait Gallery, we cannot wait around for mainstream and heterosexual institutions to get it right. We look to each other for learning and self-education!"

The main downside of the event for me was how crowded it got.  Of course I was excited that there were so many folks who came out to the event, but the space simply could not handle. It's a tricky issue for organizers, who of course want to make sure as many people can get in as possible, but sometimes that becomes a safety concern.  As a queer person I never go into a venue without thinking about where my exits are, and how easily I can get to them. At this particular event everyone was pretty trapped to some extent because of the architecture of the space, but moreso because of the number of people. I know from conversation there were a number of people very concerned about the overcrowding, safety and comfort of those who were inside.

All in all though, it was a really great event and one that I would have had big regrets had I not attended.  The art was interesting, provocative, educational and a hell of a lot of fun.  I don't drink and so I was especially excited that most folks were pretty sober (it was BYOB) and I had a chance to have some great conversations with a variety of folks, get all queerly dressed up, and enjoy some fantastic art.

** Huge thanks to Buzz Slutzky who was not only an organizer of the event, but also gave me permission to use all these photos! (i somehow managed for forget my camera at home, and the pics my cell phone took were pretty blurry)

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