E.G. Crichton is collaborating with the Gay, Lesbian Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society (GLBTHS) of San Francisco to create Out/Look and the Birth of the Queer. Rooted in the content of a now historic magazine, the project includes participatory outreach, the production of new work, events, a Web/blog presence, a catalogue, and an exhibition.
Out/Look National Gay and Lesbian Quarterly, published in San Francisco from 1987 through 1992, fostered national debates and an influential Out/Write conference. As one of six founders of Out/Look, Crichton is uniquely positioned to reconnect with people who were involved with it. She and the GLBT Historical Society will match contemporary artists with historical content and contributors. Matched artists will write new articles or create visual art or performances that respond to the historical content.
The exhibition based on these exchanges will open at the GLBT History Museum in fall 2017. It also will feature reproduced archival materials, an interactive display, and a video text animation, created by Crichton from quotes found in the magazine’s letters to the editor.
The GLBT Historical Society houses one of the world’s largest collections of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender materials. In 2011, it opened the GLBT History Museum in San Francisco.
Lead artist E.G. Crichton has a long track record for creating work that engages with public and private history, using cross-media aesthetic strategies, interdisciplinary research, and immersions in various communities.