Category: Blog Post 4

Meeting and talking to the co-founders of Queer Van Kult in person was really amazing. And the experience of listening to people articulate something they are desperately passionate about feels really different.  I think conversations with them were great.  Especially given that I had the opportunity to ask two questions. My first question was why they decided to create Queer Van Kult instead of joining existing arts organizations with similar goals. My second question asked about the kind of community they hoped to build through their work.

Nicie explained that they wanted to create an organization they could truly call their own. Rather than working within an existing organization and constantly answering to others, they wanted the freedom to take action on the issues they saw affecting their community, and they seem very much unapologetic about it. Although they acknowledged that starting and sustaining Queer Van Kult has been challenging because of limited financial support and other obstacles, they believed that creating their own collective would allow them to remain true to their vision and respond directly to the needs of the community they hope to impact. 

Through them I was able to understand why community is such an important part of Queer Van Kult’s mission. Before meeting them in person, I understood from the readings that the collective was created to support queer artists and provide opportunities for creative expression. Hearing them explain made me realize that Queer Van Kult is about more than producing art. It is also about creating a space where artists have the freedom to express, support one another, and build something that reflects their own values.

I also loved that they were open and honest about the difficulties of running an arts organization. It would have been easy to focus only on their successes, but they openly discussed the financial and organizational challenges they continue to face. That honesty made me appreciate their work even more because it showed that Queer Van Kult exists not because it is easy, but because they believe their community deserves better. It was great learning from them. 

During our visit with the cofounders of Queer Van Kult (QVK), I was delighted to gain deeper insight into their curation process. What surprised me most was how closely their workflow mirrors planning a party—from conceptualizing decorations and managing setup, to welcoming and hosting guests, all the way through tear-down and cleanup. I deeply appreciated their commitment to keeping almost everything in-house; taking complete ownership of the process ensures an artistic vision remains grounded, pure, and authentic.

This focus on intentionality led directly to the question I asked them: Has QVK ever hosted an event explicitly centered on trans experiences, and if not, would they be open to letting trans creators take the reins to guarantee the messaging stays true to an authentic trans voice?

When I first heard the name Queer Van Kult, my mind immediately looked beyond sexual orientation, envisioning a broader, gender-bending collective. QVK shared that while they haven’t hosted a strictly trans-centered event yet, elevating trans creators is integral to their work—citing their recent feature of trans Brazilian artists. It was also reassuring to learn that cofounder Jenno (who unfortunately couldn’t join our session) is non-binary.

This reflection began to shape the vision for my final presentation. There is profound beauty, complexity, and pain within the trans experience—realities that transcend the limited narratives often portrayed in mainstream media. QVK’s dedication to telling their own stories authentically inspired me to step up and tell mine.

In our meeting with the cofounders of Queer Van Kult, I utilized a previous question that both Zoë Tirado and Jenno Snyder had addressed previously in their interview “This Is Pride.” I decided to bring back the question to hear what Zoë Tirado and Nicie thought now and contrast it with their past answer. The original question was, “What does pride mean to you?” and my question was, “During the ‘This is Pride” interview, you mentioned how you felt about pride and the particular involvement of companies and struggles that are swept under the rug during the month. In the present, do you still feel this way, or has your mind changed?” 

I’m not sure why I thought the cofounders were going to have an aggressive response towards my question. I believe the stereotypes placed onto the queer community fog my perception, as they were far from hostile during the interview. Instead, they were exceptionally friendly and comfortable while addressing their thoughts. Something that must be highlighted from this activity is their unique confidence and fearlessness about taking space in a world that is often oppressive towards the queer community. Their answer to my question reflected maturity and how the celebration of Pride may take different forms that do not necessarily involve participating in the Pride parade, while highlighting how young people may join the event to find togetherness and community. For them, there is no stigma surrounding whether to attend Pride or not, as they consider that to be a personal option. Nonetheless, they are against companies that work continuously towards hurting their community and, at the same time, marketing off from Pride Month, such as Target. I thought it was beautiful when they mentioned that in the past, they had probably bought a Pride shirt from Walmart while they were young, as many people are ashamed of their past actions. I believe they embraced their true selves no matter what. Their answer did not differ a lot from what they had previously stated. Unfortunately, Sydney was not in the interview, as I feel they have a stronger opinion on the topic, but Zoë and Nicie still gave a great answer. Lastly, their answer reinforced my beliefs that pride is unique for every person and how they choose to celebrate is a personal decision that does not reflect their interest in or appreciation for the queer community. In other words, if you participate during the parade, it is fine, but if you do not, that is also fine. Or if you create your own celebration and have a marathon of POSE (a queer show), that is also fine. Everyone celebrates their identity in their own way, and we should take the example of the cofounders of Queer Van Kult to be brave and express ourselves and, most importantly, to not be afraid to create our place in the world.

Last class we had Zoe and Nicie as visitors from the Queer Van Kult. Before they came to our class, we read an article about the Queer Van Kult and I remember looking at the Sappohosaurus 2,  a pink standing sculpture that resembled a dinosaur, and wondering what it was made of, therefore once they came to visit our class that was my question to them. Zoe ( the artist behind the Sappohosaurus) told me that it was made from recycled materials, like insulation foam, chicken wire, fabric and overall a collage of different materials. Then I asked about the structure and they responded that the body was made out of planks of wood, also telling us how the Sappohosaurus was incredibly large in size. Their answer was surprising because I wouldn’t expect someone without a background in construction or just building in general to create a piece of art that big. They also changed my interpretation of an art gallery, I thought of an art gallery as a room filled with paintings, I didn’t know it could be live performances or even be made inside a U-Haul truck, which for me was really smart because of the affordability and the flexibility of being able to move it almost everywhere. Something that also stuck with me was hearing their struggles when they had this massive building for themselves and had to fill every room with art. Also learning how they used to finance their art showed me the reality of many artists.

This week in class we had a lecture from the two founders of Queer Van Kult. Above all else I found myself surprised by how grass roots this art collective is. When I think about running an art gallery in the city I picture millionaires and billionaires renting gallery space in Chelsea as a fun side project. However, Zoë and Nicie prove that with enough dedication anyone can do it. It was really interesting to be able to learn how they are able to come up with funding to organize these events. I had never heard of the NYC art council and after learning that they are a source of many art grants, I found them to be an amazing program. One question that I, and a few others, had was how being based in Staten Island has impacted their collective. When I think of Staten Island I picture a conservative enclave of the city that may not be receptive to a LGBTQ+ organization so I was interested in their experiences. What I heard from Zoë and Nicie is that, for the most part, there have not been too many issues (outside of one controversy where a person complained that their art work is demonic, even going as far as to make up the use of pig’s blood). Fortunately, the vast majority of people are only supportive and they are able to pull big crowds to their events. I think Queer Van Kult is an amazing organization that helps make art more accessible while also serving as a space for LGBTQ+ people in a region that would otherwise be lacking. In the city, I find that the art scene has become too commodified so it is very refreshing that collectives like this still exist. 

The question that I asked QVK mainly had to do with logistics. What happens to the art after a show ends? Does it go into storage? Does it sell? I figured I had a general sense of how things went, but in truth, it’s a lot like life, messy. Guest artists who are invited to participate in the shows take their work with them if it doesn’t sell. Some art ends up in family members’ basements, while some ends up on the street. One of the members of QVK mentioned that some of their pieces end up at various businesses and in their neighbors’ homes. Some are a bit too provocative and need to be tweaked before being publicly displayed in a non-show setting.

Their answer was surprising because it highlighted the realities that artists face after a show. When creating large pieces of artwork, installations, or sculptures, logistics must be taken into consideration when it comes to a piece’s life after the show. Is there a buyer? Do we have a place to store it? Can we safely transport it? What is the price, if any, to do so?

QVK made me think of all the different factors that one should consider. The outcomes that I thought were the only ones, in reality, were just the obvious ones. While creating art, especially large works, it’s important to take into account the logistics of it all.

     During today’s lesson, when Queer Van Kult dropped by, I asked a question regarding any misconceptions or misunderstandings that people may have about their work. Before diving into their answer, I want to provide a little bit to background on why I asked this question to begin with. The answer is simple, I wanted to get to know the public perception of their art. After reading that they were a LGBTQ group operating in primarily conservative Staten Island, it was easy to see how they may have faced backlash and harsh criticism by those around them. In accordance with that logic, the cofounders were able to tell me that Queer Van Kult did indeed face criticism in the form of people claiming that they were a devll worshipping group because of their logo as well as the fact that they performed rituals with pig’s blood. Naturally, this response did surprise me to hear. I was expecting an answer that included some sort of harsh criticism, but certainly not baseless accusations such as pig’s blood being used by the group in their work.

   In terms of my understanding, answering this question and hearing the response, it gave me insight and strengthened my understanding of how certain people perceive the Queer Van Kult group. As Professor Pentangelo mentioned in class, many individuals are not able to differentiate the art from the artist. What I mean by this is that the group does explore certain “taboo” topics and ideas in their work but in that same token, they are not literally devil worshippers who would go to the extent of using pigs blood in their art.  Many people do not see the artistic vision that this group has or may not certainly agree with it, especially in a primarily conservative area such as Staten Island. However, my hope is that people learn to accept that we are all unique individuals with our own beliefs and that is what gives art such as Queer Van Kult meaning and purpose.

   Overall, I learned a lot through this experience and talking to the cofounders of Queer Van Kult. It exposed me to new art forms and was a beneficial learning experience.