Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art

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The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art (LLM), operated by the Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation, is a visual art museum in SoHo, Lower Manhattan, New York City. It mainly collects, preserves and exhibits visual arts created by LGBTQ artists or art about LGBTQ themes, issues, and people. [1] The Museum offers exhibitions year-round in numerous locations and owns more than 22,000 objects, including, paintings, drawings, photography, prints and sculpture. It has been recognized as one of the oldest arts groups engaged in the collection and preservation of gay art. [2] [3] In May 2011, the Foundation was awarded Museum status by the New York State Board of Regents. [4] The Museum is a member of the American Alliance of Museums and operates pursuant to their guidelines. [5] As of 2019, the LLM was the only museum in the world dedicated to artwork documenting the LGBTQ experience. [6]

Art museum Building or space for the exhibition of art

An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily concerned with visual art, art galleries are often used as a venue for other cultural exchanges and artistic activities, such as performance arts, music concerts, or poetry readings. Art museums also frequently host themed temporary exhibitions which often include items on loan from other collections.

Lower Manhattan Central business district in New York, United States

Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York, is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in the City of New York, which itself originated at the southern tip of Manhattan Island in 1624, at a point which now constitutes the present-day Financial District. The population of the Financial District alone has grown to an estimated 61,000 residents as of 2018, up from 43,000 as of 2014, which in turn was nearly double the 23,000 recorded at the 2000 Census.

New York City Largest city in the United States

The City of New York, usually called either New York City (NYC) or simply New York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2018 population of 8,398,748 distributed over a land area of about 302.6 square miles (784 km2), New York is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass and one of the world's most populous megacities, with an estimated 19,979,477 people in its 2018 Metropolitan Statistical Area and 22,679,948 residents in its Combined Statistical Area. A global power city, New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, and exerts a significant impact upon commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and sports. The city's fast pace has inspired the term New York minute. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.

Contents

The Museum maintains a Permanent Collection into which more than 1,300 objects have been accessioned. The Permanent Collection contains works by a number of well-known gay artists such as Berenice Abbott, David Hockney, Ingo Swann, Catherine Opie, Andy Warhol, Tom of Finland, Delmas Howe, Jean Cocteau, David Wojnarowicz, Robert Mapplethorpe, George Platt Lynes, Horst, Duncan Grant, James Bidgood, Duane Michals, Charles Demuth, Don Bachardy, Attila Richard Lukacs, Jim French, Del LaGrace Volcano, Paul Thek, Peter Hujar, Arthur Tress and many others. [7] [8] [9]

Berenice Abbott American photographer

Berenice Abbott, née Bernice Alice Abbott, was an American photographer best known for her portraits of between-the-wars 20th century cultural figures, New York City photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and science interpretation in the 1940s to 1960s.

David Hockney, is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.

Ingo Douglas Swann was a claimed psychic, artist, and author known for being the co-creator, along with Russell Targ and Harold E. Puthoff, of remote viewing, and specifically the Stargate Project.

Mission

To exhibit and preserve art that speaks directly to the many aspects of the LGBTQ experience, and foster the artists who create it. We embrace the rich creative history of this community by educating, informing, inspiring, entertaining, and challenging all who enter our doors. [10]

Background

The Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation was founded by J. Frederic "Fritz" Lohman and Charles W. Leslie. [11] The two men had been collecting art for several years, and mounted their first exhibition of gay art in their loft on Prince Street in New York City in 1969. They opened a commercial art gallery shortly thereafter, but this venue closed in the early 1980s at the advent of the AIDS pandemic. [9] [12]

Pandemic global epidemic of infectious disease

A pandemic is an epidemic of disease that has spread across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic. Further, flu pandemics generally exclude recurrences of seasonal flu. Throughout history, there have been a number of pandemics, such as smallpox and tuberculosis. One of the most devastating pandemics was the Black Death, which killed over 75 million people in 1350. The most recent pandemics include the HIV pandemic as well as the 1918 and 2009 H1N1 pandemics.

In 1987, the two men applied for nonprofit status as a precursor to establishing a foundation to preserve their collection of gay art and continue exhibition efforts. The Internal Revenue Service objected to the word "gay" in the title of the foundation and held up the nonprofit application for several years. The Foundation was granted nonprofit status in 1990. [12]

Internal Revenue Service Revenue service of the United States federal government

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The government agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, who is appointed to a five-year term by the President of the United States. The IRS is responsible for collecting taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of federal statutory tax law of the United States. The duties of the IRS include providing tax assistance to taxpayers and pursuing and resolving instances of erroneous or fraudulent tax filings. The IRS has also overseen various benefits programs, and enforces portions of the Affordable Care Act.

The Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation's first location was in a basement at 127B Prince Street in New York City. [11] [12] [13] In 2006, the Foundation moved into a ground floor gallery at 26 Wooster Street in historic SoHo; gallery space will be expanding in size in 2016-2017. [14]

Programs

The Museum offers several principle programs, including the maintenance of its Permanent and Study Collections, 6-8 annual exhibitions at 26 Wooster Street, 4-6 annual exhibitions in the Wooster Street Windows Gallery, and multiple weekend exhibitions and drawing workshops at its Prince Street Project Space at 127b Prince Street in SoHo. The Museum's exhibitions are organized by Guest Curators who submit proposals which are reviewed by the Museum Director and Exhibition Committee. [15]

In addition, the Museum offers a complete year-round schedule of educational programing, including talks, lectures (Slava Mogutin, Duane Michals, Catherine Opie, Jonathan David Katz, etc.), films and books signings. [9] The LLGAF also publishes The Archive made available to its membership that includes information on the Leslie-Lohman collection, new acquisitions, events, and articles on artists and exhibitions. The Museum has a library with more than 2,500 volumes on gay art and maintains files on more than 2,000 individual artists. The Museum has begun to travel its exhibitions as its 2013 Sascha Schneider exhibition traveled to the Schwules Museum in Berlin. The Museum's Classical Nude: The Making of Queer History was on preview at the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives gallery in West Hollywood in the summer of 2014. [16]

The Museum makes objects in its collection available for loan to qualified organizations and in recent years has borrowed works from other institutions, including the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution. New York Public Library, The Andy Warhol Museum, and other organizations.

Governance and finances

The Leslie-Lohman Museum is governed by an independent Board of Directors. The Foundation employs a full-time staff, and relies on the assistance of volunteers to implement its programs. [9] The Museum also runs a Fellowship Program. [17] It is financed by its endowment, contributions from private donors and foundations as well as a membership program. The Foundation expands its collection primarily by donations from artists and collectors.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Ellis, "Arts and Education," in The Harvey Milk Institute Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Internet Research, 2001.
  2. ↑ "NYC's 5 Best LGBT Art Exhibits And Cultural Events" (Archive). CBS New York City. June 4, 2012. Retrieved on September 14, 2014.
  3. ↑ Cotter, "Gay Pride (and Anguish) Around the Galleries," New York Times, June 24, 1994.
  4. ↑ Ryan, Hugh (2 March 2014). "The Leslie-Lohman Museum Is a Haven for Artists Who Are Too Gay for Art School".
  5. ↑ [ dead link ]
  6. ↑ Sharon Otterman (June 28, 2019). "Highlights from the rally at the Stonewall Inn". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  7. ↑ Aletti, Vince. "Boys and Girls". W Magazine.
  8. ↑ Pogrebin, Robin (22 August 2014). "'Permanency' Displays Gay and Lesbian Art" – via NYTimes.com.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Sanchez, "Leslie-Lohman Gallery: The Ultimate Gay Portfolio," Genre Magazine, September 2000.
  10. ↑ "Leslie Lohman Missions Statement".
  11. 1 2 Robinson, "Future Events From Art to Zippers," The New York Times, April 25, 1982.
  12. 1 2 3 De Stefano, "Artistic Outlaws: Leslie and Lohman Have Fought to Preserve Gay Art for Three Decades," New York Blade, March 20, 1998.
  13. ↑ Lee, "The Week Ahead: Jan. 22 - Jan. 28," The New York Times, January 22, 2006.
  14. ↑ "Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art Announces Expansion". www.artforum.com.
  15. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-11-23.Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ↑ "The Classical Nude and the Making of Queer History - ONE Archives". one.usc.edu.
  17. ↑ [ dead link ]

Sources

  • Aletti, Vince. "Patrick Angus at the Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation." The Village Voice. February 4–10, 2004.
  • Cotter, Holland. "Gay Pride (and Anguish) Around the Galleries." New York Times. June 24, 1994.
  • Clarke, Kevin. "The Art of Looking: The Life and Treasures of Collector Charles Leslie" 256 Pages, Bruno Gmuender 2015.
  • De Stefano, George. "Artistic Outlaws: Leslie and Lohman Have Fought to Preserve Gay Art for Three Decades." New York Blade. March 20, 1998.
  • Ellis, Alan. "Arts and Education." In The Harvey Milk Institute Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Internet Research. Alan Ellis, Liz Highley, Kevin Schaub, Melissa White, and Liz Highleyman, eds. Binghamton, N.Y.: Haworth Press, 2001. ISBN   1-56023-353-2
  • Kennedy, Sean. "Lust At Last: At Age 70, Illustrator Bob Ziering Shows His Gay Erotic Art for the First Time." The Advocate. August 17, 2004.
  • Lee, Nathan. "The Week Ahead: Jan. 22 - Jan. 28." New York Times. January 22, 2006.
  • Lockard, Ray Anne. "Pink Papers and Lavender Files: Preserving Gay and Lesbian Art History in Archival Collections." Art Libraries Society of North America. Session 14. 26th Annual Conference. Philadelphia, Pa., March 10, 1998. Accessed November 3, 2007.
  • Robinson, Ruth. "Future Events From Art to Zippers." New York Times. April 25, 1982.
  • Sanchez, John. "Leslie-Lohman Gallery: The Ultimate Gay Portfolio." Genre Magazine. September 2000.
  • Saslow, James M. Pictures and Passions. A History of Homosexuality in the Visual Arts. New York: Viking Press, 1999. ISBN   0-670-85953-2
  • Summers, Claude J., ed. The Queer Encyclopedia of the Visual Arts. San Francisco: Cleis Press, 2004. ISBN   1-57344-191-0
  • Twomey, Chris. "The Culture of Queer: A Tribute to J.B. Harter." New York Art World. September 2006.

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