Press Room

MAD Luminaries co-host the annual LGBT+ VC Summit
June 25–26, 2024

New York, NY (May 1, 2024)

Coinciding with Pride Month this June, the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) bursts with vibrant artistic expression and programming celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Recently opened exhibition OUT of the Jewelry Box, an exclusive installation Identity Is…, and artist-led workshops explore the layers of queerness and its profound influence on the cultural landscape.

Additionally, the Museum’s young patrons’ group, MAD Luminaries will co-host the LGBT+ VC Summit, an annual convening of LGBTQ+ and ally investors, innovators, and entrepreneurs to catalyze change and drive progress in finance. The two-day summit, taking place on June 25–26 in the Theatre at MAD, will feature a roster of speakers and panelists who are leaders in the fields of technology, venture capital, and arts and culture. LGBT+ VC is a nonprofit charity dedicated to educating on the importance and benefits of investing to welcome prosperity for LGBTQ and ally communities around the world.  More details will be available in the coming weeks.   

“At MAD, we believe that art has the power to illuminate the experiences of all individuals, and Pride Month offers a crucial opportunity to spotlight the stories of LGBTQ+ artists and makers,” said Tim Rodgers, MAD’s Nanette L. Laitman Director. “We encourage everyone to visit the Museum to experience the creativity, resilience, and joy that shines through these exhibitions and programs.”

OUT OF THE JEWELRY BOX
Ongoing
Expanding the voices represented in MAD’s permanent collection, OUT of the Jewelry Box considers the importance of queer perspectives in the world of studio and contemporary art jewelry. The exhibition showcases an extraordinary gift from Ron Porter and Joe Price, who have collected and worn art jewelry throughout their forty-one-year relationship, nine of those legally married.

On view are 56 newly acquired works from The Porter Price Collection by queer artists and their allies, and 22 pieces by queer artists already represented in MAD’s permanent collection. The jewelry dates from the 1950s to the present, and stories from the artists and collectors about the role of jewelry in the construction of queer histories and identities accompany each work.

The exhibition’s 44-page, full-color catalog is available for purchase in The Store at MAD, along with a curated selection for Pride Month, including the full Pantone® Pride Collection, LGBTQ+ themed literature, and an assortment of jewelry from queer makers.

IDENTITY IS…
Through June 30, 2024
Currently on view in the Museum’s lobby, the extraordinary work of wearable arttitled Identity Is… was created for multifaceted creator, tastemaker, and theater impresario Jordan Roth to wear at The Metropolitan Museum of Arts’ Costume Institute Benefit—also known as The Met Gala—in 2021. A maximalist composition in which identity is a multifaceted creative act, the coat and its sweeping train are crafted from a textile collage of elaborately patterned fabric overworked with labor-intensive machine and handstitched beadwork. Layers of queer imagery and poetic text fragments are key elements in the work of artist Sylvan, who says, “[they]… name intentions, offer reminders of the fragility of our world, and provoke a call to healing, to action, to remembrance.”

WORKSHOPS
June 20 and June 27, 2024
Internationally exhibited genderqueer fiber artist, activist, and leader in arts education Sylvan, will lead participants in two, evening workshops focused on art activism, healing, and collaboration designed to transform fear into action and service. More details about the workshops, to be held on June 20 and June 27, will be forthcoming.

For more information about Pride Month at MAD, please visit madmuseum.org.

EXHIBITION CREDITS

Out of the Jewelry Box, part of the Craft Front & Center exhibition series, has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Museum of Arts and Design together: Democracy demands wisdom. The exhibition is also supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Research was supported by a Craft Research Fund grant from the Center for Craft. Additional support from The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) champions contemporary makers across creative fields and presents the work of artists, designers, and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill. Since the Museum’s founding in 1956 by philanthropist and visionary Aileen Osborn Webb, MAD has celebrated all facets of making and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies. Today, the Museum’s curatorial program builds upon a rich history of exhibitions that emphasize a cross-disciplinary approach to art and design, and reveals the workmanship behind the objects and environments that shape our everyday lives. MAD provides an international platform for practitioners who are influencing the direction of cultural production and driving twenty-first-century innovation, and fosters a participatory setting for visitors to have direct encounters with skilled making and compelling works of art and design. For more information, visit madmuseum.org.

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