23
May
2023
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09:43 AM
America/New_York

The Philadelphia Museum of Art Celebrates Pride

June 130, 2023
Visit throughout June for a series of inclusive events that honor LGBTQ+ communities, including a Queer Prom presented by GALAEI, a Queer(ing) Art audio tour, and  treats made by Crust Vegan Bakery
Pride Progress Flag to Fly Over PMA East Terrace, A Statement of Welcome to All

June 1, 2023 - To celebrate national LGBTQ+ Pride Month and continuing the work and spirit of our Equity Agenda, the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) will present a series of events in June. All month long, an intersex-inclusive Progress Pride flag designed by Daniel Quasar will wave from the PMA’s East Terrace to show that all are welcome and valued as part of the museum community. 

On Saturday, June 10, the Queer Prom, an ongoing tradition in Philadelphia for over 25 years and hosted for the first time at the PMA, will have everyone dancing to the theme of “Queer Fashion through History,” with music by DJ Delish and performances by Icon Ebony Fierce, and Luna The Jawnette. Queer Prom is presented by GALAEI, a Philadelphia-based organization that supports QTBIPOC youth. Funds raised at this event support GALAEI’s all-inclusive youth prom festivities, which are free for participants.

Visitors in June can enjoy free self-guided tours highlighting works on view that reflect on queer identity. Virtual talks (webinars) will explore topics including gender in Kabuki actor prints. In the galleries, installation art by American artist Zoe Leonard, an exhibition of Edo period (1615–1868) Kabuki prints, and the installation Seeing with Empathy: The Female Gaze in American Modernism all add to the discussion around pride, identity, and belonging.

Tasty treats by Crust Vegan Bakery will be offered at our Espresso Bar and Café the entire weekend of June 2. The local, queer-owned bakery is the PMA’s Chef-in-Residence for the month of June, a recurring museum program. Also, every Friday night in June the Rodin Garden Bar is featuring Love City Brewing’s Unity IPA with special packaging on each can in support of Pride Month. The local brewer is donating one dollar from every sale to Queer organizations in the region.

“PMA proudly and warmly welcomes LGBTQ+ people always but we’re putting on a special celebration throughout the month of June,” said Sasha Suda, George D. Widener Director and CEO. "We’re flying the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Progress Flag above the museum as a symbol to the city, we’re highlighting queer art with a self-guided audio tour, hosting queer prom, and raising up queer-owned business. All are welcome – please join us at PMA and show your joy with pride!”

Admission is Pay What You Wish on Friday, June 2 (after 5:00 p.m.), Sunday, June 4, and the weekend of June 17–19. As always, free admission is available for PA Access and EBT cardholders and their family members. Pride x PMA merchandise inspired by the Progress Pride flag will be available for purchase, both at the main store and online at store.philamuseum.org. 

We invite everyone to come as they are and discover the joy and empowerment art can provide. PMA’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month calendar of events includes:

Crust Vegan Bakery: Chef-in-Residence
Friday–Sunday, June 2–4
11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. 
Dining Espresso Bar, ground floor | Café, first floor
Queer-owned and Manayunk-based Crust Vegan Bakery joins us as this month’s Chef-in-Residence. Learn more 

Queer Prom 
Saturday, June 10
9:00 p.m.–midnight 
Main Building, West Entrance
Ages 21+ can dance the night away while supporting and affirming QTBIPOC youth. Presented by GALAEI; purchase tickets at philamuseum.org.

Pay What You Wish (PWYW) 
Museum admission is always PWYW the first Sunday of the month and Fridays after 5:00 p.m., but we’ve added three more days during our Community Block Party Weekend: June 17–19.

Art Kids 
Sunday, June 18
South Vaulted Walkway, ground floor 
Kids 18 and under are always free, and our all-ages Art Kids Studio is open every weekend. Get a taste of our summer programming during Community Block Party Weekend on June 18, and look for more Art Kids Summer programs beginning June 29. 

Talk: Gender in Kabuki Actor Prints (Virtual) 
Thursday, June 22
Noon–1:00 p.m. 
Explore the presentation of gender in Scandal & Virtue: Staging Kabuki in Osaka Prints. Organized in partnership with Philadelphia Asian & Queer. This is a webinar; free registration at philamuseum.org. Learn more

Members’ Talk: Queer(ing) Art at the PMA (Virtual) 
Friday, June 23
11:45 a.m.–1:00 p.m. 
This online presentation asks us to contemplate what “counts” as queer art and examines examples of LGBTQIA+ art in the museum’s vast and diverse collection. Register for this free members-only event at philamuseum.org.

Seeing with Empathy: The Female Gaze in American Modernism 
Opens Thursday, June 1
Gallery 208
This traces the various artistic perspectives of eight American women artists who employed an empathetic gaze—also known as a female gaze, which is achievable by anyone looking at anyone—when depicting the female/assigned female at birth (AFAB) body, specifically. Learn more

Zoe Leonard: Strange Fruit 
Ongoing
Gallery 271 
Intended to decay while on public view, Strange Fruit is made up of empty fruit skins that have been sutured together and arranged on the gallery floor by the artist. The work was created in New York in the 1990s, during the early days of the ongoing global AIDS crisis. Learn more

Scandal and Virtue: Staging Kabuki in Osaka Prints 
Through Monday, July 24
Korman Galleries 221–223
This installation examines the way Kabuki actor prints in Japan during the Edo period (1615–1868) functioned as conduits of fame and scandal. Explore the role of Kabuki actors as celebrities, the influence of the government, and fan culture. Learn more

Self-Guided Tour: Queer(ing) Art Audio Tour 
Museum staff reflect on queer identity through some of their favorite artworks with a free audio tour. Learn more

Self-Guided Tour: Queer Art Rack Card 
Visit any admission desk to pick up our newest rack card, which highlights works on view by queer artists or that depict queer subjects.  Learn more

We use the word “queer” in compassionate recognition of the LGBTQIA+ community’s reclamation and celebration of the term, which in the past has been wielded as hate speech. We use the term inclusively because understandings of and vocabularies for gender and sexuality change over time and across cultures.

Please visit our website to learn more about Pride Month and queer art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

June is also African American Music Appreciation Month and we’re celebrating with a special Friday Lounge series of live music performances. Our Community Block Party Weekend celebration starts with Friday Lounge on June 16 and continues with a House Party on Saturday, June 17, and an outdoor Block Party on Sunday, June 18.

About the Philadelphia Museum of Art
We are Philadelphia’s art museum. A world-renowned collection. A landmark building. A place  that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people withthe arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts. 

For additional information, contact the Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art: pressroom@philamuseum.org.

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