A Queered Exhibition: LGBTQIA+ Artists Expressing Identity and Visibility through Art-Based Research
Graduation Year
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Curriculum and Instruction
Major Professor
Michael Berson, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Ilene Berson, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Vonzell Agosto, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Sara Flory, Ph.D.
Keywords
art, art education, curatorial activism, library, museum education
Abstract
Too often museums, galleries, and art curriculum ignore or erase the lives and art of LGBTQIA+ individuals. This exhibition aimed to make the diverse lives and art from the queer community visible. Integrating queer perspectives and visibility is empowering and creates a sense of belonging. Queering the art world can present alternative perspectives, promote diversity, and provide exposure to a more inclusive experience for all. The aim of this inquiry is to inform institutional practices within museums on queer inclusivity and further scholarship on this topic by engaging with the queer art community and public during an exhibition held in a university-run art gallery. The objectives of this inquiry are to better understand how LGBTQIA+-identifying artists visualize and perceive queer visibility in museums/galleries and how participating in an exhibition that is centered on queer lives and art can challenge normative practices of presuming heterosexism within museums. My research questions endeavor to add to the current literature on strategies for LGBTQIA+ inclusion in museums and galleries, specifically university sites, through queer curatorship and curatorial activism using visual methodologies and art-based research. Qualitative data was collected from participant-generated artifacts, observations, and semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that the artists expressed through their art, words, and body language that art has the potential to operate as both a personal and political tool, there is a desire for freedom from the restrictions and enforcements from dominant ideologies, the wish to be part of the queer community and society, and the hope for queerness to be acknowledged in both museums and society.
Scholar Commons Citation
Paris, Christy D., "A Queered Exhibition: LGBTQIA+ Artists Expressing Identity and Visibility through Art-Based Research" (2023). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10075
