Last week Union was host to the two artists behind Queertopia, an immersive art experience that aims to promote equality and uplift LGBTQ+ voices. Paul Richmond and Briden Schueren spent the week in Wold Atrium where they hosted workshops, painting events, and discussions. The Union community was invited to submit pictures or items that represented what queer joy means to them, and throughout the week Richmond and Schueren turned them into pieces of art. The residency culminated in a gallery pop-up in front of the library on Friday afternoon, complete with food, a DJ set, and paintings from both Richmond and Schueren, and members of the campus community. The proceeds from these paintings will go the Trevor Project, a non-profit organization focused on suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth.
Isabel Batt ‘27 had the opportunity to speak to the two artists whilst they were painting. According to Richmond and Schueren, the aim of their artwork is to highlight the joy and community of queer people; it is important to reframe the queer experience outside of the stereotypical sad stories and uplift the voices of the LGBTQ+ community. They also emphasize that art can be a framework for meeting new people and can create a space for people to be themselves. Art is a form of visibility, meaning that it can create a community for those who may not otherwise see themselves represented.
While tabling for the event, Sam Wodnick ‘29 had the pleasure of meeting some new folks and greeting familiar ones. Those who came to the table demonstrated interests ranging from passive to passionate, but nonetheless consistently joyful (and usually queer). Despite not being a Queertopia event itself, the energy in anticipation for Queertopia was present from the start.
As part of the residency the artists hosted a Paint and Pass event where paintings are passed around a table, allowing multiple people to work on the same painting. Every painting that Richmond and Schueren created last week between them was also collaborative in this way. They say that this method of creating art allows people to make something completely new, unlike anything made by just one person by synthesizing different art styles. Further, the collaborative aspect fosters trust between artists.
Beyond being an artist residency, Queertopia represents a wider message that queer people are part of a joyful and vibrant community, including here on Union’s campus. This has been facilitated through collaborative artwork, and has given Union students an outlet to express their personalities and experiences. The final gallery pop-up was a display of the diversity of Union’s campus and the solidarity of the college community.
Jennifer Mitchell, Marlow Guerrant, and Brianne Brinker, as well as the entire Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies department played integral roles in facilitating a community which rallied around the Queertopia event. Without their unending commitment to providing queer joy to the people at Union, none of this would have been possible.
