Join us for Community Connections, a series of reflections offered by queer curators, writers and activists. This program hands the microphone back to community to broaden the stories of a selection of artworks presented in QUEER: Stories from the NGV Collection, to which our speakers have chosen to respond. Audience members will also be invited to share their thoughts and reflections on exhibition artworks, artists and themes. Hear from and be heard in this QUEER X Midsumma program.
Past program
Sun 20 Mar, 1pm
(Past)
Speakers
Dr. Ted Gott, Senior Curator of International Art, NGV
Meg Slater, Assistant Curator, International Exhibition Projects, NGV
Brendan Cooney is an event professional with over 30 years’ experience developing and delivering large scale outdoor events, festivals, theatre and music performances. Brendan has worked as a creative producer for the past 15 years focussing on major international arts festivals and has produced programs for Brisbane Festival, OzAsia and Cabaret Festival. He joined the team at Midsumma Festival as acting Program Manager in 2021 and was appointed Program Manager in 2022. He has a passion for working with artists and supporting the artists’ process. His goal at Midsumma Festival is to seek out, engage, support and elevate all forms of art and artistic expression from the wide and varied members of our LGBTQI+ communities.
Sun 20 Mar, 1.30pm
(Past)
Aamer Ahmed
Aamer is a queer, POC multidisciplinary artist, producer and curator who has made a name for themselves in the queer communities of Naarm. Aamer utilises their education and professional experience in the film industry as a launchpad into creating audio/visual installations, projections and immersive experiences. Their artworks have elevated events by the likes of Melbourne Music Week, Gaytimes and Barba. Their experience as a visual art curator is most notable highlighted by their curation of the recent Midsumma Australia Post Art Award exhibition, one of the county’s largest queer art awards. As well as their role as the Midsumma Keynote Program Coordinator, working specifically on producing and coordinating art and performances with queer and disabled, neurodiverse collaborators from around Australia.
Sun 20 Mar, 2pm
(Past)
Nic Holas
Already well known to NGV, Nic is an activist, writer and has written about law reform and human rights and has appeared in publications for ABC, SBS, Sydney Morning Herald to mention a few.
Sun 20 Mar, 2.30pm
(Past)
Jake Treacy
Jake Treacy is an arts curator, arts writer and poet. They are a queer, non-binary person who is interested in radical gestures of love, transformation and healing through community collaboration. Their practice employs numinous acts through exhibition-making, performativity, and the spoken and written word. They are a University of Melbourne graduate with a Master of Art Curatorship (2017) and Postgraduate Art History (2013) who has previously co-directed an artist-run initiative, sat on grant advisory panels, and written published copy on numerous contemporary arts practices. They have curated across national art galleries as well as non-conventional public spaces, participated in a creative symposia, and performed poetic dissertations. They currently curate at Incinerator Gallery and sit on the BLINDSIDE board of Artistic Directors.
Sun 20 Mar, 3pm
(Past)
This discussion will be facilitated by:
Dr. Ted Gott, Senior Curator of International Art, NGV
Meg Slater, Assistant Curator, International Exhibition Projects, NGV
Brendan Cooney is an event professional with over 30 years’ experience developing and delivering large scale outdoor events, festivals, theatre and music performances. Brendan has worked as a creative producer for the past 15 years focussing on major international arts festivals and has produced programs for Brisbane Festival, OzAsia and Cabaret Festival. He joined the team at Midsumma Festival as acting Program Manager in 2021 and was appointed Program Manager in 2022. He has a passion for working with artists and supporting the artists’ process. His goal at Midsumma Festival is to seek out, engage, support and elevate all forms of art and artistic expression from the wide and varied members of our LGBTQI+ communities.
