The last decade has been significant for gays and lesbians in Edmonton. As recently as 10 years ago, it was permissible in Alberta to discriminate against people on the basis of their sexual orientation. State-sanctioned discrimination in housing, employment and social services exerted a chilling effect on the queer community. The decade leading up to today’s climate of relative acceptance has been literally life-altering for Edmonton’s queer communities. Exposure digs down into the complexity of people’s lived experience as queers in Edmonton today. Building on the Loud & Queer Cabaret, a variety show that has enjoyed increasing success since its modest beginnings in 1990, Exposure will invite members of the queer community to develop, exhibit and explore queer artistic expression, and it will provide opportunities for Edmonton audiences to appreciate this art.
Exposure is the latest and most exciting addition to Edmonton’s festival lineup. It started with an email from Michael Phair in early spring. “Interested in being part of a queer arts and culture festival?” he asked. Less than a month later, the steering committee for the inaugural festival was on its way to bringing you an exciting addition to the festival and the queer scene in Edmonton. Exposure helps to build and strengthen artistic and queer communities in Edmonton, creates awareness about the contribution of queer artists and cultural producers to the art world in Edmonton and beyond; showcases both young artists and professionals. The festival supports youth mentorship and aims to expose Edmonton festival audiences to the best of queer arts and culture.
Exposure is bookended by two fabulous events: Loud ‘n’ Queer, the longest running show of its kind in Canada, and the red-hot Rouge: A Masqueeade Ball. In between, the range of arts and culture is delightful.
Here is a look at some of the many events of Exposure.
LOUD ‘N’ QUEER CABARET
See the newest in LGBTQ art, writing and performance during the longest-running Queer arts showcase of its kind in Western Canada. Produced by Guys In Disguise and Workshop West Theatre. Directed by Darrin Hagen and Michael Clark. Starring Cathy Derkach, Nathan Cuckow, Andrea House and Trevor Schmidt.
The longest-running Queer arts showcase of its kind in Western Canada, the 16th Annual Loud & Queer Cabaret takes flight November 23 & 24 in the Transalta Arts Barns. See the newest in LGBTQ art, writing and performance in two epic evenings.
QUEER TERRITORIES (VISUAL ARTS)
This exhibition plays with the frontier culture of Alberta and examines what might be considered on the edges of queer territory in popular culture. Queer Territories mixes video, performance, installation and photography for Edmonton region audiences
FATALE: A DANGEROUS NIGHT OF FEMME PERFORMANCE
Featuring daring performances by four innovative and provocative artists from across Canada, Fatale will make you wish that you were living your own film noir. On this night, poetry walks in stilletos and prose wears pearls. Femme is back, baby.
BIRCH HEART PRESENTS: WET SECRETS, SPREEPARK, KNOTS
Live at the beautiful McDougall United Church, and featuring Calgary’s beautifully unique Knots; half-gay, half-asian Spreepark - the Edmonton/Calgary/Berlin supergroup who will be releasing their Double Disk Debut CD; and Edmonton’s pre-eminent ‘’horn-y pop’’ band, The Wet Secrets and a cavalcade of guest stars from the local music community.
GET BENT: QUEER YOUTH ART (VISUAL ARTS)
Curators Josie Cross, Chris Rogers and Eugene Dening have come together under the mentorship of Shane Golby and Kris Wells to create a “for youth by youth” exhibit that provokes ideas around identity, individuality, and representation.
Join them on December 1st at the AGA from 1:30-2:30pm for a free reception.
This is a great event and show that really highlights the mentorship aspect of this festival. The show, though, is curated by youth and features youth artists. It’s a wonderful taste of what’s to come in queer art.
DESERT HEARTS (FILM) / WARS WE DRESS UP FOR (SHORT FILMS)
Desert Hearts, Donna Deitch’s love story between 2 women, “a classic of queer cinema”, has been brought back by popular demand.
QUEER STORY SLAM
Story Slam is an Edmonton institution, and on Wednesday, Nov. 28, there will be a special queer-themed night, hosted by Story Slam co-founder Lisa Gregoire. Come out and say your piece! Stories run the gamut from fictional to factual, hilarious to serious, carefully read to off-the-cuff. The rules are simple: Your story must be an original, unpublished work and it must be under five minutes long. There’s a $5 entry fee for performers and the hat is passed to all audience members. The winner, chosen by audience judges, takes all the money at the end of the night.
ANN CVETKOVICH: DEPRESSION: A PUBLIC FEELINGS PROJECT
Ann Cvetkovich is a foundational and widely accessible figure in the study of feelings and feminism, queer life and trauma. Her research on depression explores the way in which our feelings are harnessed by pathology and by conventional ways of thinking about our bodies.
533 STATEMENTS / BUBBLE (FILMS)
533 Statements: A Documentary About Queer Canadian Women. Join Tori Foster as she travels the country in search of queerness and connections. The Bubble Eytan Fox’s film about being gay, straight, Israeli, Palestinian, lover and fighter.
TOAST AT THE ROOST (ARTIST/AUDIENCE MIXER)
Come out and give a TOAST to all the stars of Exposure, artists and participants alike! This mixer offers the Exposure community the opportunity to network, chat, and laugh. Complete with special performances and a dance floor, this event is a guaranteed good time.
ALBERTA BEEF OVEREXPOSED (DRAG KING CABARET)
Party with the kings for a night! Come see all new numbers that will leave you laughing, thinking, and - well, HOT. In addition to Alberta Beef, this show features Edmonton court kings, Edmonton’s new troupe Prime Rib, and Calgary’s Fake Mustaches.
EXPOSURE FAMILY DAY AT THE AGA
Got kids? How about nieces and nephews? Make art with educators Davey Thompson and Clay Lowe during drop-in workshops at the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA). Share the Exposure experience with your family at the AGA.
Stay and be our guest for the Get Bent / Exposure Family Day reception starting at 1:30pm. There will be refreshments and performances from the Pride Centre Youth Theater Project.
ROUGE: A MASQUEERADE BALL
Rouge is a dress-up ball for queers and their queer-friendly friends. Cast in the spirit of the Moulin Rouge, the evening will feature roving performance artists, celebrity Santas, DJ West Coast Baby Daddy. Wear your imagination and dress in your best, whatever that means to you. This party, the capstone event of Exposure: Edmonton’s Queer Arts and Culture Festival, is expected to sell out, so buy your tickets early.
THE WORKS PRESENTS: DAVID FOLK
The Works Gallery is proud to present Telling Tails and Other Stories, an exhibit of contemporary paintings by recent Master of Fine Art graduate David Folk.
In Telling Tails and Other Stories, gender and sexual norms are explored and placed within contemporary painting practices that center around the use of the male figure. Folk’s large-scale figure paintings incorporate elements of self-portraiture, nostalgia, and desire along with an interest in the construction of identity. Often utilizing motifs that make reference to both traditional and contemporary painting – as well as personal anecdote – Folk’s work is situated largely within the realm of narrative painting.
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITS
Photography and LGBTQ folks have a long and fecund history. Remembering that, we have unique shows, in vernacular spaces, that express a full range of queer voices and cultures. Both local and international photographers discuss issues of the body, language, and desire.
Other events include the November 20th Trans Day of Rememberance, queer events on the U of A Campus, Bitchslap at the Roxy Theatre, many guest speakers, and much more!
This month, expose yourself to Exposure!
Exposure
Edmonton’s Queer Arts and Culture Festival
www.exposurefestival.ca

For more information, see their ads on pages 48 and 49.