Local artist Kris Kelly is gearing up for Calgary's first queer arts festival.
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Arrata Opera Centre
Saturday, March 5 - Saturday, March 5
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The word “queer” has several dictionary definitions including:
1. Deviating from the expected or normal; strange.
2. Of questionable character; suspicious.
3. Offensive slang used as a disparaging term for a homosexual person.
It’s this third definition that an upcoming collaborative one-day festival aims to dispel — and organizers hope that one day, the word “queer” becomes acceptably synonymous with the word “creative.”
The festival is a why-didn’t-we-think-of-that-sooner partnership between Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival and Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre that will be more than just glitter and glam.
“It seemed like a natural fit,” Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre co-artistic director Mark Hopkins says of the blend. “Our company is dedicated to building and fostering community through the arts, and that’s exactly what we intend to do with this festival.”
There will be queerness, and lots of it. But that’s a good thing, according to the organizers of Q the Arts, Calgary’s first queer arts and culture festival.
In a city known neither for its queerness or acceptance of it, the festival plans to reclaim the term “queer” through art, says Fairy Tales artistic director Jessica Dollard, who believes the word doesn’t have to be a disparaging term for homosexuals.
“Let’s face it, queerness is still somewhat controversial in this city and this event will provide a lot of food for thought,” Dollard says. “And where else can you go to see a talented showcase of artists who call themselves queer?”
Swallow-a-Bicycle co-artistic director Charles Netto says the festival is an event all people can enjoy — not just members of Calgary’s LGBTTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit and questioning) community.
“Queer isn’t an exclusive term,” he says. “We see it as the most inclusive term available. We want to celebrate Calgary’s multiplicity of voices and viewpoints.”
Local artist Kris Kelly is co-ordinating the visual arts installation for the event.
“My own practice has connections to dance, visual art, architecture and design that helped balance out the strong representation we had for the other disciplines,” he says.
Kelly describes the upcoming festival as a thought-provoking event.
“Calgary is a city where there are way more intriguing things happening than many people expect. Q the Arts is one of those events, among many, worth attending.”
Those wanting to see a gay film aspect to the festival, will have to wait until the 13th annual Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival in May.
“The film festival has become an important voice for Calgary’s queer community,” Dollard says. “But, since I’ve been with the organization, I’ve seen there is room for other forms of expression and that’s why this is such an important event.”
While Dollard acknowledges there was a one-time queer arts festival in 2007 during the North America OutGames — a gay sport and culture event — she says this is the first festival if its kind that aims to become a staple of Calgary’s expanding festival roster.
That’s not to say the OutGames festival didn’t have its own historical impact. For one, it was the inaugural kick-off of the event that is now in its fourth year in Vancouver for 2011, but the Calgary event also attracted the mother of a slain gay Wyoming teen.
Matthew Shepard became a household name after his brutal murder made national headlines in 1998. Shepard was tortured and murdered by two young men because he was gay, and since his death his mother, Judy, has become an advocate of gay rights, speaking at the Calgary OutGames event in 2007.
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