Kenney Mencher

Image description: A side full-body profile of Chella, who is nude and floats against a black background.

Tomorrow, Leslie-Lohman Board member Chella Man’s newest film, The Device That Turned Me Into A Cyborg Was Born The Same Year I Was premiers at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art. The film explores the nuances of life on a continuum between the Deaf and hearing world, oscillating between a daydream and nightmare as Man steps into his autonomy as a Deaf adult.

“At its core, [this film] is an anthem on self-love and exploration, paralleling many lessons intimacy has granted me.” -Chella Man, writer, director, actor, artist

We’re excited to be the NYC home of this international premiere. The film will also premiere in Sydney, Australia at the Powerhouse Museum and in London with Nowness. The screening of this film will be followed by a moderated conversation including artist, sex worker and organizer Sammy Kim, Deaf surfer, skater, and snowboarder Darrick De La O, director, writer and producer Tony Zosherafatain, and director of photography Leroy Farrell.

The film includes captioning. ASL and CART will be provided for this in-person gathering.

This event is at capacity and seating is limited. At the start of the gathering if there is space available tickets will be released to the waitlist on a first come first serve basis. We will do our best to accommodate as many waitlisted people who show up as possible.

Morgan Gwenwald in Conversation with Ariel Goldberg

hosted by the Magnum Foundation

Image Description: Morgan Gwenwald, Working on the "Keepin' On" exhibition [l-r: Paula Grant, Jewelle Gomez, Georgia Brooks]”, 1991, archival ink-jet print, 16x20.” Photo Courtesy the Artist

Morgan Gwenwald is one of a small group of out lesbian photographers who emerged during the early days of the gay rights movement. Her work has filled newsletters, journals and magazines from the 70s through the 90s, including: Nothing but the Girl: The Blatant Lesbian Image: A Portfolio and Exploration of Lesbian Erotic Photography, The Persistent Desire: A Femme Butch Reader, Sinister Wisdom, and On Our Backs, to name a few. Her goal has been to capture the world in which she lives in honest and loving detail. Her move to New York in 1979 started a long-term relationship with the Lesbian Herstory Archives where she still serves as a coordinator.

In the first of two conversations between Goldberg, curator of Images on which to build, 1970s-1990s, and a photographer featured in the exhibition, Goldberg will speak with Gwenwald about her wide-ranging documentation of lesbian and queer grassroots organizing in New York City in the 1970s-1990s. A volunteer and coordinator at the Lesbian Herstory Archives (LHA) since 1979, Gwenwald will share rarely before seen materials, including documentation of the 1982 Barnard Sex Conference and portraits of influential and beloved community members. Join us and learn about Gwenwald’s practice, which includes publishing, exhibition making, constructing darkrooms, and building analogue networks for lesbian photographers to share skills and resources.

This hybrid, in-person and remote conversation is co-hosted by Leslie-Lohman and the Magnum Foundation and takes place at Magnum Foundation, 59 East 4th St, 7W, on March 30th from 6:00-8:00pm. The in-person event is full, but there are still remaining RSVPs for the virtual component of the gathering.

CART will be provided for the in-person portion of this gathering and captions provided for those joining online.

RSVP for the virtual event here

Celebrating Trans Day of Visibility with BTFA

Image description: A group of Black trans femmes holds hands on stage, preparing to bow. They wear schoolgirl outfits and are joyful.

Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art is proud to partner with BTFA Collective for Trans Day of Visibility with a window installation that will activate the facade of the museum from March 31 through April 23. The installation will highlight work by visual artists Lexi Webster and Gatekeeper Adrian in the collective. By activating the city’s cultural hubs to spotlight this underserved community, Black Trans Femmes in the Arts hopes to bring in new audiences to support Black trans femme artists and their work.

BTFA creates spaces for the production and preservation of Black trans art and culture by building community with Black trans femme artists and providing them with the resources and support necessary to thrive.

To support BTFA, visit btfacollective.org and follow them on social media at @btfacollective and come check out the window at Leslie-Lohman!

BTFA on Instagram

Audio Guide: I Love You Like Mirrors Do

Image description: Image Description: Coyote Park lies on their side, their head facing upward, their head resting between River’s legs. River, sits half-reclined in the opposite direction, their hand entwined with Coyote’s on Coyote’s tattooed chest. Both their eyes are closed. A draped piece of beige fabric fills the background, and the left and right sides of the image have botanical arrangements of greenery with red-orange flowers.

The audio accompaniment to Coyote Park’s I Love You Like Mirrors Do is now live. Download the Gesso app to hear our audio guide to Coyote Park’s I Love You Like Mirrors Do. The descriptions in this guide were written by artist and educator Paula Stuttman with voice work by Leslie-Lohman’s Visitor Experience manager and accomplished actor, Nicola Gorham. Additional thanks to Coyote Park. Courtesy of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art.

Download the Gesso app here

Link to the Audio Guide

The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art (LLMA) is the only art museum in the world dedicated to artistic exploration through multi-faceted queer perspectives. With a collection that includes over 25,000 objects spanning three centuries of queer art, LLMA embraces the power of the arts to inspire, explore, and foster understanding of the rich diversity of LGBTQIA+ experiences.

The Museum is generously supported, in part, by public funds from the Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council. Programmatic support is also provided by the Achilles Family Fund, Booth Ferris Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, John Burton Harter Foundation, and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation. Individual support is proudly provided by the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees and Global Ambassadors.