Pride weekend is here once more and with it comes a plethora of artistic activity to choose from and this does not necessarily mean pictures in galleries and performances in theaters. Pride, both the parade on Saturday and the two day festival is an opportunity for the local community (plus thousands of out of town friends!) to come together and celebrate in what will surely resemble an outlandish rainbow of many, many colors. Art will be on display all over the place. It will be filling the streets, it will be moving in and out of businesses all through Hillcrest and it will be reflected in the queer (or gay, if you prefer) behavior and clothing chosen by each and every LGBT person as well as the massive moving crowd. The color and costumes, the face paint and beads, the duct tape nipple shields and the six inch shiny heels is art at its most authentic and ingenious best. That most likely includes you too!
For those of you who will attend the festival the feast will continue so make sure to stop by the Art of Pride tent which is typically close to the entrance. This is an opportunity to see a small exhibition of art works by a diverse range of artists in the community. I was happy to serve as a judge to this juried show last year and am looking forward to seeing the work this year.
Finally, some of you will no doubt choose to avoid the craziness of the weekend altogether because, well, Pride can be crazy and perhaps you have had enough crazy to fill a couple of lifetimes. If this describes you and you would still like to make your Saturday and Sunday special then here are two shows to consider:
How would you represent yourself, your friends, family, or loved ones through photography? What aspects would you choose to focus on and represent either figuratively or symbolically?
Taking inspiration from Arnold Newman: Masterclass, the first retrospective of the influential 20th century photographer’s work, and The San Diego Museum of Art’s new contemporary art series Summer Break, this contest encourages San Diego residents of all ages to submit portraits inspired by Newman’s work. The contest focuses on subject matter rather than medium; photographs of all media, whether film, digital, or cell phone images, altered, retouched, or edited will be accepted. Submissions will be accepted from 9 a.m. July 1 through 5 p.m. July 22.
Meanwhile, at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s La Jolla location Approximately Infinite Universe is an exhibition of work inspired by science fiction, with its exploration of other possible worlds, its dislocation of spatial and temporal trajectories, and its challenges to distinctions between human and alien, self and other. The seventeen artists featured in the exhibition understand art as a vehicle for time travel, employing an array of mediums as means to move backward and forward through time. Their work re-visions fraught histories and en-visions utopian futures, with the effect of gaining insight into the complexities of the present.
No matter which universe you choose to explore I hope you have a safe and happy Pride weekend.
