Distribuqueery (NCECA exhibition)

Organized by Jess Sallay-Carrington. Artwork by Victoria Walton, Mac McCusker, Rowen Foster, Joey Quiñones, Kyle Miller, Lucas Neves, Max Trumpower, Heidi Grace Acuña, Aaron Caldwell, Jess Sallay-Carrington

On View: Mar 14th-18th 2023 at Pendleton Art Center- Annex Gallery (1310 Pendleton St, Cincinnati, OH 45202)

A river’s current is a powerful force which keeps the water flowing together as one being, carving its way through the land. The stream of water is ongoing, ebbing and flowing with the seasons but continuing on its path. Distributaries form naturally, as water branches off the main river, smaller streams form which have the potential to grow into their own river systems given enough time and force. Queers are like those distributaries, branching from the main current of society and forming their own paths. That main current is what influences people to assimilate to heterosexual and cisgendered norms. Such norms do not come naturally to all, but the dominant flow of society teaches us that to fit in we must conform to societal standards. The queer ceramic artists chosen for this exhibition showcase work which speaks to the rejection of that conformity. Pulled from the riverbeds, clay in the hands of these artists displays the wide potential of what queer can mean. Queers have shown time and time again that the strength of queer communities have no bounds. They flow adjacent to the main current, but feeling alienated from the main-stream, they branch off to form their own paths. Queerness is more than just a sexuality, it presents a myriad of ways to live outside of the so-called “socially acceptable” heteronotmative lifestyles that we are pressured to adhere to. Queer culture encourages people to make their own rules without letting conservative social standards determine how we live our lives. These cultures and communities, which includes all those who identify within the LGBTQIA+ initialism, are each unique. They are as diverse as people themselves. With this ceramic exhibition we wish to showcase the uniqueness of these queer cultures, aesthetics, and individuals as they branch off of the main current to create their own stream.

This exhibition is composed of ten queer artists from around USA and Canada. In understanding queer identities we must take into account the varied experiences within the umbrella of queerness. Queerness intersects with social markers such as ethnicity, geographical location, economic wealth, and physical/mental ability, which all play a crucial role in one’s experiences of being queer.  As the renowned queer writer José Esteban Munõz wrote in his book, Cruising Utopia: “Queerness is essentially about the rejection of a here and now and an insistence of the potentiality for another world. (…) The present is not enough. It is impoverished and toxic for queers and other people who do not feel the privilege of majoritarian belonging, normative tastes and “rational” expectations.” In imagining this future where queer identities have the freedom to flourish without the fear of being unwelcome into homogenous heteronormative society, we must grow our own rivers. This is especially important now, as the amount of queer-phobic legislation has been growing in the USA. Showcasing the work of these queer ceramic artists provides a glimpse into the unique perspectives and experiences of individuals that have unabashedly never flowed with the current of the main-stream.