Description & Background
Founded in 2009 by filmmaker Ira Sachs, Queer|Art is a non-profit organization that cultivates an intergenerational community of LGBTQ+ artists across disciplines. Established to address the systemic loss of mentors resulting from the ongoing AIDS crisis—as well as the historic lack of economic and institutional support for queer creators—Queer|Art operates nationwide from New York. The organization provides intergenerational mentorship, financial grants, public showcases, and community resources across four primary fields: Film, Literature, Performance, and Visual Art.
Objectives
Queer|Art aims to provide LGBTQ+ artists with the resources, guidance, and visibility required to achieve long-term professional sustainability and creative success. Grounded in intergenerational dialogue, interdependence, and racial equity, the organization works to counter social isolation across generations, regions, and artistic practices. Guided by its strategic plan, Queer|Art seeks to grow its artist ecosystem, build organizational sustainability, and transform culture by defending queer legacies, expanding public engagement, and securing financial resources for creative practitioners.
Programs / Opportunities
- Queer|Art|Mentorship (PRACTICE): A 10-month program (running from January to October) pairing emerging and established artists for one-on-one project development, monthly cohort meetings, public artist talks (QAM Debuts), and works-in-progress presentations.
- Grants, Prizes & Residencies (AWARDS): Direct monetary awards and opportunities, including:
- Illuminations Grant for Black Trans Women Artists: An annual $10,000 grant supporting Black trans women visual artists with cash and professional development resources.
- The Queer|Art Design Grant: Two $10,000 grants supporting emerging LGBTQ+ designers across design disciplines.
- Barbara Hammer Lesbian Filmmaking Grant: A biennial $6,000 grant for lesbian filmmakers creating visionary moving-image art.
- Queer|Art|Prize: Two $10,000 annual awards recognizing Sustained Achievement and Recent Work by US-based LGBTQ+ artists.
- Events & Exhibitions (PRESENTS): Public programming, film screenings, literary readings, and gallery exhibitions organized with co-presenting venues to highlight community work.
- Community Resources: Mutual aid support, racial equity advocacy initiatives, and community networks designed to provide emergency relief and structural support.
Target Community
- LGBTQ+ Artists & Designers: Emerging, mid-career, and established queer, trans, and non-binary creators, filmmakers, writers, performers, visual artists, and designers based across the United States.
- Mentors & Industry Experts: Prominent, established LGBTQ+ cultural figures serving as mentors, advisors, and award judges across various creative fields.
- Institutional Partners & Public Audience: Co-presenting arts venues, corporate partners, cultural institutions, and a global public engaging with queer contemporary art, performance, and cinema.
