straight advisory board for queer iowa artists
Mark McCusker here.
I'm with ACE in Iowa City, Iowa.
I'm a queer guy and Iowa artist.
I was asked some questions by a potential board member. Here are some thoughts.
I'm working with my husband, Darrell Taylor. He's the Director of the Galleries of Art at the University of Northern Iowa and the curator of my piece,
A Queer Question.
Darrell is rounding up language about the Straight Advisory Board.
It's true there's not much posted yet on the Straight Advisory Board.
I'm formulating some notes.
I hope you don't mind if I'm a little vernacular and colloquial.
It's very early in the life of this project. Straight folks are asking me how they can help.
I'm considering my many reasons for wanting to make a Straight Advisory Board.
My collaborators and I are contemplating the purposes of a Straight Advisory Board.
(Maybe this board is for the straight-identified who'd like advice from Queers?)
The Straight Advisory Board is an Art-Culture Experiment of ACE and began for me as a conceptual artwork. I want a welcoming act of inclusion, allowing straight people a place at my queer table.
I'm gathering a list of
Queer Iowa Artists for the Iowa Arts Council.
It's open to all LGBT, queer and non-hetronormative artists who work, have worked, or will be working in Iowa.
And it's open to Allies of queer Iowa artists, wherever they are and whatever services they are providing.
Specificity is good in reaching a target audience such as Queer Iowa Artists and asking them what services they are providing to Iowans - But it's hard for me to exclude people - And gays and straights will benefit from having dialogue.
So a Straight Advisory Board will be a kind of Gay-Straight Alliance.
When I've asked straight folks to join the Straight Advisory Board, it begin conversations beyond the 3 words: queer, iowa, artists.
These conversations (about civil rights, marriage, the military, religion, morality, etc.) seem beneficial.
I'm asking:
"Queer Iowa Artists, what do you want and need from a Straight Advisory Board?"
"Straight Advisory Board, what do you what and need from Queer Iowa Artists?"
"How can you be of service to each other?"
"Will there be meetings, a list serve, a blog, discussions or what?"
Board members will have rights and responsibilities of their choosing - As of yet unknown.
It's a list of straight people who are willing to have conversations with queer Iowa artists about anything both parties wish to discuss - professional-personal, public-private.
Board members will:
Be of service to queer Iowa artists
Share knowledge in their areas of expertise
Be eyes and ears for LGBTs in Iowa
Give feedback on what they are seeing and hearing from queer Iowans.
Here are some "whys" :
Queer Iowa Artists can run their thoughts by some straight folks to glean ideas and anecdotes.
Some straight allies I've spoken to have a problem being listed on Queer Iowa Artists. This gives them a safe space.
Straight folks can contact the Straight Advisory Board to ask questions about LGBT folks.
Some queer LGBT folks have questions about straight folks and might like to ask a question or two.
This is A Work In Progress...
Your insights would be very welcome.
Mark McCusker
Ace Artist
