muse-ing #21
pride! community celebration! lesbian hands! & our fav queer artists!
happy pride month friends! to celebrate, we made for you a muse-ings filled with queer joy. inside you will find queer artists we love, things to do this month in NYC, ways to use pride as creative inspiration, & more whether you’re part of the queer community or just a really sweet ally, we think you will find something in here for you! If anything, we hope this is a beautiful reminder that you can be you & we are so happy you are.
Our Favorite Queer Art & Artists
The world of art and creativity has always been abundant with queer artists (whether we knew it or not). Here is a simple round up of some of our favorite queer artists, some you may even recognize from the art in our studio!
Alvin Ailey – Last winter the Whitney had an exhibit on Alvin Ailey, a queer choreographer and dancer who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. The exhibit was an incredible celebration of his art as a black gay man, but featured tons of other amazing black art. Ever since, I have been fascinated by his life and his artist legacy.
Sky Fusco – A Well Spent Life – We love all Sky Fusco’s prints! But this print in particular feels just so very queer in every sense. A well spent life, indeed.
Mickalene Thomas – Mickalene Thomas primarily creates collage portraits, and we are consistently inspired by her creativity! Mickalene’s art celebrates Blackness, queerness, and femininity fiercely with tons and tons of color and texture.
Bint.Bandora – Palestine is for lovers – This collage made by Bint Bandora is a celebration of Palestine and of palestinian queerness. It is a beautiful reminder that queerness is everywhere, and so all of our struggles are collective.
Pace Taylor – Exit Strategies – Pace Taylor is a Portland based soft pastel artist. All of their work centers intimacy and community particularly depicting queer intimacy and moments of communal connection. Their art work is bold and bright and absolutely beautiful!
Our Obsession: Lesbian Hands
I am currently obsessed with @LesbianHands on IG!! Recently I stumbled upon this instagram run by comic Brooke Finegold, and quickly fell in love. The feed is a collection of photos either submitted or snapped in real time of lesbian hands. It is aesthetically satisfying, style inspiring, and a real reminder that lesbians are everywhere and thank GOD for that. I love image collections and seeing creativity in the little things. This IG is a queer celebration as much as it is an art project.
Something to Muse On: Community Celebration
Pride month always leaves me feeling reconnected with myself and with my community. Personally, pride month signifies the beginning of a new season and the reminder that I am allowed to take up space as myself in this world. But taking up space and being myself relies on the existence of queer spaces and communities who share in this celebration of pride. To honor myself and my queer community, I am considering how my art practice can be a reflection of my community and our collective celebration.
This month, I have been taking my creative energy and impulses to create art that reflects the abundant beauty of my community. Whether pride month speaks to you on a personal level or not, this time is a reminder for us to see the beauty in the community that surrounds us. Whether it is in our direct sphere or not, queerness exists all around us and how lucky we are to live in a world of diversity and love.
I hope that this abundance of love, expression, and individuality inspires you to create this season. Here are just SOME ideas to get you started:
Muse on…
A homage to your younger queer self – who would you be if you had always let yourself be YOU!
A reflection on the community that allows you to express yourself. How does it make you feel? How do you feel seen? What is that love like?
A gratitude to the queer people in your life – how are you inspired by their beauty?
A portrait of your community and its beautiful diversity!
A reflection on what pride month brings out in you and how we can weave it into the entire year.
A visual representation of your pride! Make it big and loud and impossible to ignore!
A RecCreate Pride Guide in NYC
There are sooo many things to do during pride month & it can often feel very overwhelming. From parties to drag shows to craft circles to rallies, there are a million things to do. So here are a FEW of the events going on that we have on our calendars. Check them out!!
June 23rd, Poetry is Gay at Singers – Poetry is Gay runs a monthly poetry night at Singers bar in Bedstuy. Come join for an evening of poetry from queer writers and performers. This is an early evening activity – if you are looking for something to do & go to bed early!
June 26th, Gaydar Pride Party at House of Yes – we looooooove Anania from the gaydar show on tik tok, and luckily for us they are hosting a Gaydar pride party this week at House of Yes. This is certainly going to be more of your dance-y party vibe, but if you are looking for something FUN & certainly FUNNY, we think this might be it.
June 27th, Lez Craft at the Lesbian Herstory Archives – LHA hosts a monthly craft evening centered around lesbian history and culture. This pride month they are having an evening of collaging and mixed media artmaking. Anyone interested in writing, symbolism, drawing/painting, and paper crafts within the lesbian community is invited. This is also an early evening hang!
June 28th, Gay Gayer Gayest Birthday Party @ Carpark – Gay Gayer Gayest, GGG a collective for Black sapphic women to provide a safe space free from the pressures and sexualization of heterosexual party culture, is hosting their birthday party at the end of pride month! Come dance and celebrate 1 year of GGG.
June 29th, Nonbinary Picnic @ Prospect Park – If you are looking to connect with other non-binary and gender nonconforming folks in the city, head to Prospect park on June 29th for a community picnic.
June 29th, Grotto’s Sapphic Pride Dance Party – Grotto, a sapphic cocktail bar concept, is known for hosting very classy cocktail pop ups around the city for queers. This Pride they are hosting a parade after party with drinks, dancing, and possibly tattoos!
In the Studio
Lots of fun things are !! still !! happening in the studio come spend a dreamy summer day with us.
RecCreate X Treetop Journeys Camping Trip — A multi night dinner. party meets a camping trip meets an art retreat— only a handful of spots left :) Come create + dine amongst the trees with us!
Outdoor Knitting Workshop — If you’ve always wanted to learn how. to knit, and want to enjoy a lovely evening in the park while doing so— this one’s for you.
Woven Bag Workshop with Jessie Young — No experience required to leave with an incredible functional art object. This will be the last one until Fall!
Forever your fans,
Zibby & Team RecCreate