National Queer Arts Summit 2015
San Francisco, CA – Queer Cultural Center (QCC) is pleased to announce that is has received a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to organize and conduct a fall 2015 Queer Arts Summit that will facilitate a national conversation about Queer performing arts and to improve the financial status of LGBTQ theatre, dance and jazz/blues artists.
With the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in 2011 and with marriage equality enjoying the support of a majority of the American population, many performing arts presenters are now looking to expand their local LGBT audiences. Because few American cities have developed LGBT arts communities, most presenters must import touring Queer dance, music and theater artists to achieve this goal.
By bringing together Queer and non-Queer arts presenters with a diverse group of established Queer performing artists at the Queer Arts Summit, QCC will promote national touring as a strategy to improve the economic condition of cutting-edge LGBT theater, dance and jazz/blues artists. The proposed fall 2015 Queer Arts Summit will comprise 3 plenary sessions, at least 10 workshops and panel discussions and 20 showcase performances by LGBT performing artists.
In addition to the plenary sessions, workshops and showcases, the Summit will be comprised of numerous networking events that allow artists and presenters to explore San Francisco arts and nightlife while deepening their relationships in informal settings. QCC will also offer a total of 30 scholarships for Queer performing artists, arts groups and presenters that would otherwise be unable to attend the Summit to ensure diverse participation.
In January 2014, a steering committee comprised of QCC Board Members Tina Takemoto, Ph.D, Jacqueline Francis, Ph.D. and Mia Nakano will work in conjunction with QCC’s General Manager and Queer Arts Summit Project Director Kevin Seaman to organize a meeting of Bay Area Queer performing arts stakeholders to gather input from the local community. This group will review tentative Summit timelines and ensure that the Summit’s plenary sessions and workshop topics address the most pressing issues for today’s Queer performing artists and presenters. From this meeting, the steering committee will also identify individuals to promote and inform the project by means of an advisory board.
For more information or to get involved, please contact Kevin Seaman at (415) 309-5092 or [email protected].
About QCC: QCC is a multiracial multidisciplinary arts presenter that actively promotes the development of LGBTQ art and culture. For 19 years, QCC’s commissioning, presenting, website, educational and technical assistance programs have stimulated the artistic and economic growth of San Francisco’s culturally diverse queer arts community.
About Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people’s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child abuse, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke’s properties.
Media Contact: General Manager Kevin Seaman
[email protected], (415) 309-5092
More Information: https://queerculturalcenter.org/Press/ArtSummit.html
