Quest Magazine Volume 17 Issue 1
Quest Arts & Entertainment Features (2 This Issue)

With Performance Space That’s Also an Art Gallery,
Milwaukee Gay Arts Center Does It All

By K.Sherry

It’s seven-thirty on a snowy Monday evening in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood. Nestled inside the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center (MGAC) on S. 2nd St, a small cluster of people are holding auditions for an upcoming production of various one-act plays.

“Okay, now show me a series of emotions,” says one of the directors. “Starting with fear.” And the actor, without missing a beat, crumbles into a terrified little ball, and lets out a rather loud scream.

‘Well, that will certainly rattle the neighbors,” says Alan Poitrowitz, the MGAC’s newest board member, and director of one of the most successful productions here to date – “The Vagina Monologues.” Held last March, The Vagina Monologues coincided with the annual recognition of “V” day, to bring awareness to violence against women. It sold out every performance, and raised a healthy amount to donate to women in the Congo.

“It’s exciting to do work in this space. There is so much potential here,” says Poitrowitz.

With it’s hardwood floors, storefront windows, and amazing acoustics, not to mention it’s fiercely impressive red wall, the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center secures it’s spot as the communities go to place for LGBT art. If you haven’t been there, you should.

This March, the small arts center will mark its’ 5th year, as one of the only gay art centers in the nation not affiliated with its city’s LGBT center. Milwaukee joins cites such as New York and San Francisco as having a stand-alone gay arts center not part of another entity.

These auditions tonight are not an uncommon scene here at MGAC, or “the GAC” as it’s often called. Everything from art shows, to theatre, to live music, meetings, parties and belly dancing, happens in this charming Cream City brick gallery and performance space. In fact, surprisingly a considerable amount has happened in the nearly five years of it’s existence, in light of the fact that it is run completely by volunteers and survives on donations, grants, and sales. Lucky for us, the MGAC isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

Tonight, with actors bustling about, QUEST sits down in the spacious back room with MGAC’s Artistic Director Paul Masterson, to discuss just what IS going on in this little gallery that could.

“Well the auditions tonight are for a one act festival at the end of January, entitled “Gods and Gays.’” Says Masterson. “With everything from Jewish Lesbians, to the Anti-Christ, to an insane nun who thinks we’re all going to hell – it should prove to be an interesting night.’

With a title like that, one has to wonder if yet again, the MGAC will gain the attention of those who would rather see it shut down than producing any type of art involving gay issues, or characters. Afterall, the MGAC is no stranger to controversy. In 2006, when “Naked Boys Singing” (generally a successful show across the country) was shown by Uncommon Theater, in cooperation with the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, it drew nationwide attention (along with Christian protestors, and bomb threats) when it was shutdown by the Vice Squad of the Milwaukee Police Department over what the city claimed was the lack of proper licensing. Others cried discrimination.

“Basically, the city asked us to comply with an ordinance that did not apply to us,” said Masterson. “They should have known that as a 501c3 charitable organization we didn’t need the theatre license we were asked to acquire” MGAC reopened the show, and a lawsuit against the city was filed to recoup advertising revenue, ticket sales, anticipated legal fees, and punitive damages. The ACLU got involved, and now, three years later, the matter is still pending.

“There is definitely more scrutiny in terms of people being very sensitive to how the LGBT community projects itself,” says Masterson. “But on the other hand, there are those who expect the MGAC to push the envelope and be a little bit more confrontational.”

On the walls of the gallery this evening however, are images not intended to offend, yet to intrigue and inspire.
“We have this great intern, Pete Stolowski a student of MIAD, who was given the project to curate a show,” says Masterson. “He came up with ‘Geometry Survey’- a series of work exploring geometry. It explores how a range of Milwaukee artists incorporate geometry in their work.”

Masterson then leaves to retrieve a small book about Advertising and Homosexuality – the theme of the next gallery offering.
It’s a “A Hint of Homosexuality” says Masterson, “a collection of advertising with subliminal gay messages from the 19th century through the 1950’s by Bruce Joffe. The collection was previously displayed at the LGBT Center of South Eastern Wisconsin in Racine, where Joffe is currently the Director.

In the spring, Masterson will mount one of the largest projects yet, entitled “The Isis Project,” running roughly three months, from April to June.

“Its going to be art shows, cabaret, music, theatre, anything and everything related to the theme of Isis in an LGBT context.”
Outside of the gallery, and the performance space, MGAC has hosted or held benefits, receptions, fund raising events and meetings for over a dozen local LGBT organizations, most at no cost. The participating organizations include GAMMA, SAGE, Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Milwaukee Momentum Women’s Football League, PrideFest, SSBL, ARCW, Visioning Project, Lesbian Alliance, and many others.

MGAC is also an active participant in the Saturday Softball League, with their diverse team – Scream.

The space here at MGAC is available for rent for almost anything - commitment ceremonies, concerts - anything that has a potential for drawing a crowd. Many of these events occur while a particular show is still up on the walls.

“Usually the art will stay up no matter what we do, or who we rent to,” says Masterson. Rental on the space can be anywhere from $150 and up, depending on the project, or length of the rental. “We have meetings, luncheons, theatre events, and parties, all sorts of reasons for renting the space.”

At times, the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center has found that having “Gay” in the title of the organization can rattle a few feathers. After booking an event in the space, one parent involved in the party refused to attend – leading to a complete cancellation of the event. She found it to be an inappropriate space to bring children.

“It just shows you that there are still people who are reluctant to accept the Gay community based on whatever prejudices they have in their head,” says Masterson. “One of the reasons why we call it the Gay arts center was to be who we are and to declare our identity and not hide behind an acronym. Even our landlord once suggested we change the name, so we can have more people in the doors. We’re just not going to do that.”

As the only LGBT establishment on the block not operating as a “gay” bar, one has to wonder if this hinders or helps the gallery.

“I think as long as we have a quasi -gay neighborhood, the gay arts center seems to be appropriately located in it,” says Masterson. “We don’t really have a gay neighborhood, but 2nd Street is the closest thing to it by virtue of the fact that the bars are here. This is as good as place as any, and probably better than some because there is gay activity here.”

Trying to secure grants and funding for the MGAC involves an incredible amount of time. “We are all volunteers, so we aren’t making any of the money,” says Masterson. “Outside of the occasional grant, funding comes in from art sales, donations, concession sales, and MGAC memberships, and some incredibly generous people in the community.

The MGAC also receives a small amount every quarter from the Pick-n-Save “We Care” process, which helps non-profit organizations raise additional funds through supportive shoppers who use their Advantage Plus Savers Club card. If you shop at Pick-n-Save, consider signing up for the program. It costs you nothing, and helps raise funds for MGAC at the same time.
With a newly recreated website, a growing presence on facebook, and more collaboration in the works, The Milwaukee Gay Art Center is off to a running start for their 5th anniversary.

FMI, or to donate, or volunteer, please visit www.milwaukeegayartscenter.org

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ART LESSONS
Olan Montgomery Brushes Up on Gay Hate
By Jason Lumiere

Artist Olan Montgomery paints societal conditions and their affect on the individual. His past collections have shined the light on topics like New York’s hidden gay underground, summer resort enclaves like Provincetown and Rehobeth Beach; and Chase Manhattan bank tellers. In his latest collection, “Atrocities”, Montgomery presents his most heart wrenching collection yet, depicting some of our nation’s most horrific gay hate crimes.

What message are you conveying through your art?
I encourage viewers to see the individual through color and light. By doing so, one’s own humanity can be more fully understood. 

Your recent work seems to focus on the individual.
It always has. Their soul, essence; the wonderful value each person adds for simply being. One person can and has changed the world.

Like Harvey Milk?
Exactly. I often wonder what Harvey Milk could have accomplished had he had the chance to live. Imagine how much more he would have given to the world.

Your new collection, “Atrocities”, focuses on gay hate crimes. 
I am shining the light on people who were horrifically beaten, tortured, and murdered because they were different.

Is there one piece that speaks loudest to you? 
The piece that most tears at my heart out is inspired by the story of Barry Winchell, a military man who was beaten to death with a Louisville slugger baseball bat in his barracks after it was discovered that he was dating a transsexual.

Was he really awake during the attack?
He lay sleeping in his bed during the attack but I chose to see Winchell waking up.  According to the police report, the blood spatter on the wall around Winchell’s head was like a halo.

You take poetic license in several of the pieces, including the painting of Matthew Shepard.
I saw Matthew Shepard begging those boys for his life. They had it within their power to stop what they were doing. I would like to think that at some point Matthew’s inner voice and soul took over and gave him a calm. I think there is a calm that comes over us all when we realize that we are not in control of our destiny.

You incorporate references to historical works in the collection.
The Matthew Shepard piece is inspired by The Shepherdess, a painting by French painter Jean Francois Millet.

The tribute of Gwen Arguro is inspired by Rembrandt’s Rape of Ganymede.
Gwen was outted as a transsexual at 17, then beaten to death for five hours by three men. They choked her, hit her with a frying pan, tied her up in rope and then beat her with a shovel. The perpetrators used the ‘gay panic’ defense and were able to get a mistrial. Then, in their second trial, the court determined Gwen’s case was not a hate crime because she had sex with several of her assailants. Such injustice.

Who are the people in Shut the Front Door?
The people are figurative and not based on any real person. They represent my own feelings about how I have been treated by my own country being gay.

Is that why the capital building is in the background?
The capitol is in the painting because the legislature of the federal government of the United States does not recognize the marriages of same-sex couples and is prohibited from doing so by the Defense of Marriage Act.  Again, someone else saying our gay relationships don’t hold water against straight ones.

Have you ever been a victim of a gay hate crime?
All gay people are victims of the biggest hate crime in history. When politicians can make speeches about us using blanket derogatory statements, comparing us to pedophiles, calling us all kinds of hateful things and they’re still allowed to hold office, hell, we’re all being victimized.

Is the gay community doing enough to combat gay hate crimes?
The community cannot combat something we did nothing to incite. What needs to be done is on the backs of every parent. It starts in the home.

Do we need a leader like Martin Luther King?  
How does one find a leader in a world so divided? I would say let’s not follow the leader. Instead, let us as a people protect one another and teach acceptance to our children.

Do you plan to exhibit the collection?  
Right now I am just trying to paint, feel and understand the atrocities going on in the world. 

Ultimately, you will sell the paintings.   Are these paintings appropriate for living rooms?
I have to look at Jesus Christ being crucified in every church and overzealous Catholic’s home. I think the world can stand for us honoring our dead.

What’s next for Olan Montgomery?  
I’m painting a series on War along with the Atrocities series. I go between the two to deal with the emotional overflow. I’d say my mind and heart are on fire these days and for all the right reasons.

To learn more about Olan Montgomery and his work, visit lipstickchic.com.