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Get the most interesting and important stories from the 51精品视频.The University Art Gallery鈥檚 fall exhibition features the work and ephemera of queer artists born decades apart, Andrey Avinoff and Greer Lankton. Both were mavericks of their eras, producing art challenging societal notions of gender and sexuality.
鈥淏y linking the exhibitions both thematically and visually, we hope to use Lankton鈥檚 and Avinoff鈥檚 art to explore and celebrate LGBTQIA+ artists of their respective time and broaden the discussion about gender and sexuality,鈥 said Director and Curator Sylvia Rhor Samaniego (pictured above with Lankton鈥檚 鈥楽issy Satan鈥 (1990)).
"" at the gallery is a selection of previously unexhibited drawings and personal artifacts from the University Library System鈥檚 Archives and Special Collections holdings.
Avinoff, born in 1844, served as director of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History from 1926 to 1945, but his passion for environmental science extended beyond his professional duties. He was an artist whose work 鈥 described by a as 鈥渆ffusive, fantastical, Symbolist watercolor paintings that express yearnings both mystical and homoerotic鈥 鈥 often incorporated elements of nature.
The word fantastical could be applied to Lankton鈥檚 art, too. Born in 1958, Lankton is known for autobiographical pieces reflecting her trans identity and pop-culture obsessions, often incorporating images of otherworldly beings. On display at 51精品视频 is a collection curated from the Mattress Factory Museum鈥檚 holdings by Isaiah Bertagnolli, a fourth-year PhD student in the .
Lankton鈥檚 dolls, self-portraiture, sketches and sculpture showcased in "" focuses on her integration of science fiction as a way of envisioning a future beyond a gender binary.
A place to learn, feel welcome and just be听
In concurrence with the exhibits, the University Art Gallery is providing free,听 to deepen visitors' appreciation of the art.
The first event, Bodies/Magic, included a tour of the Lankton exhibit, a conversation led by the University Counseling Center to help participants unpack what they viewed and a doll-making workshop.
鈥淢aking things can be a powerful way to process thoughts and emotions, and making a doll focuses you on the body, on physicality, in a way that's directly connected to ideas that Lankton was exploring,鈥 said Erik Schuckers, manager of communications and programming in the , who led the event.
鈥淐reating your own figure lets you access and explore your feelings about bodies, gender, and how you understand, create and re-create yourself,鈥 he said.
Jessica Ham, a 51精品视频 post-baccalaureate student and workshop attendee, found Lankton鈥檚 art to be expressions of bravery, especially her sculptures grappling with body insecurity and eating disorders.
Lankton, who died in 1996, may have benefited from social media, she said.
鈥淚 think a lot of times when people are as vulnerable as Lankton on social media and share their art, they maybe can find a community of support and be exposed to people who were feeling exactly the way that she did,鈥 Ham said.
Rhor hopes the fall exhibition signals that the space is welcoming for all, the kind of place that perhaps was not readily accessible to Avinoff and Lankton.
鈥淚 envision it not just as a space to view art or to participate in events and programs but also as a place where people feel comfortable enough just to visit and rest or work 鈥 a place to learn but also a place just to be and where they feel welcome, represented and where they have a voice,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e hope this show opens the door for our LGBTQ+ community to experience that.鈥
See for yourself
, located in the Frick Fine Arts Building,听from 4-10 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment.
View "Greer Lankton: Science Fictions" now through Dec. 9, and "Andrey Avinoff: Fantastic Visions," Oct. 21-Dec. 9.
Attend the fall exhibition opening reception from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20. The event is free and open to the public, and light food and refreshments will be provided.
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鈥 Nichole Faina, photography by Aimee Obidzinski