Mission Statement
QUEER|ART cultivates a dynamic community of LGBTQ+ artists across generations and artistic disciplines.
We provide intergenerational mentorship, public programming, and material support to shape
culture and drive societal change.
ABOUT
Queer|Art was born out of the recognition of a generation of artists and audiences lost to the ongoing AIDS Crisis, and in a profound understanding that one of the many repercussions of that loss has been a lack of mentors and role models for a new generation of LGBTQ+ artists. Founded in 2009 by filmmaker Ira Sachs, Queer|Art serves as a ballast against this loss and seeks to highlight and address a continuing fundamental lack of both economic and institutional support for LGBTQ+ artists. Our mission is to provide individuals within our community with the tools, resources, and guidance they need to achieve success and visibility for their work at the highest levels of their field.
Our artist-centered approach generates cross-disciplinary and intergenerational dialogue with a wide range of services to the field, accompanied by public programming that honors and recognizes our community's cultural legacies. Our programs are organized under three major areas of support: PRACTICE (Creative and Professional Development), PRESENTS (Events, Exhibitions, and other Public Presentations), and AWARDS (Residencies, Grants, and Prizes). Each of these areas of support operate across four fields of creative practice: Film, Performance, Visual Art, and Literature. In 2020, we were excited to initiate a fourth branch of support: COMMUNITY RESOURCES (Racial Equity Advocacy & COVID-19 Recovery Efforts). This new addition to our programming provides our artists with the vital assets and networks needed to thrive in an increasingly hostile time.
Queer|Art|Mentorship is the core program of PRACTICE and the cornerstone of all activity at Queer|Art. The annual 12-month program cultivates an intergenerational and interdisciplinary network of support and shared knowledge among a diverse and vibrant community of LGBTQ filmmakers, authors, performers, curators, and visual artists.
Under PRESENTS, we focus on public presentations organized in partnership with various co-presenting venues. This includes showcase presentations of work by artists in our Mentorship community and stand-alone public programming series that feature artists from our extended community.
AWARDS is the final major area of support honoring Queer|Art's mission. This initiative of grants, prizes, and awards provides various kinds of direct support—monetary and otherwise—to LGBTQ+ artists.
Board of Directors
Lola Flash (President) - Artist, Multi-Year QAM Visual Art Mentor, Visual Art
Damian Bao (Vice President) - Filmmaker, Producer, Casting Director
Chris Quach (Treasurer) - Director of International Recruitment at Columbia University, Former Arts Grantmaker
Miranda Haymon (Secretary) - Artist, Director and Writer for Film and Theater, 2023 QAM Film Fellow
Ira Sachs (Founding Director) - Filmmaker
Liz Collins - Multi-media Artist, Multi-Year QAM Mentor
Bee Davis - Data Scientist, Cybersecurity Professional, Activist
Kazem Ghouchani - LGBTQ Philanthropy Professional, Movement Building Fundraiser
Lucila Moctezuma - Documentary and Media Arts Consultant, Film Festival Programmer
Max Rifkind-Barron - Filmmaker
Fran Tirado - Editor in Chief of Them, Writer, Podcaster, Filmmaker
Kei Williams - Executive Director of New Pride Agenda, Community Organizer
STAFF
Río Sofia: Executive Director
Reya Sehgal: Programs Director
Ita Segev: Development & Partnerships Director
Andrius Alvarez-Backus: Communications Director
ankita: Executive Assistant
Brook Aster: Communications Assistant
FIELD COORDINATORS
Catching on Thieves: Film Field Coordinator
Nile Harris: Performance Field Coordinator
viento izquierdo ugaz: Visual Art Field Coordinator
Zefyr Lisowski: Literature Field Coordinator
ASSOCIATES
Lisa Marie Alatorre: Organizational Development Consultant
Buffy Sierra: Public Programs Producer
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP: Legal Counsel
Arts FMS: Financial Management Services
Trustees Emeriti
Lily Binns
Alexander Chee
Cecilia Gentili
Brad Greenwood
Bobye List
Ellen Marks
John Oursler
Nelson Santos
Sue Simon
Judy Yu
Donors and PARTNERS
For a full list of our donors and institutional partners, visit our SUPPORT page.
contact
For general inquiries, write to info[at]queer-art.org. You can also write to Río Sofia (Executive Director) at rsofia[at]queer-art.org.
For mailing purposes, Queer|Art’s office is located at 140 2nd Avenue, Suite 501, New York, NY 10003.
TIMELINE
2009
PRESENTS: Curated by Ira Sachs and Adam Baran, Queer|Art introduces Queer|Art|Film, a critically-acclaimed monthly screening series in which LGBTQ artists present the films that have most inspired them. Learn More.
2010
PRACTICE: Queer|Art introduces Queer|Art| Mentorship, an annual creative and professional development program that brings together emerging and established artists in a 12-month exchange. Learn More.
2014
October 24th, 2014: Queer|Art receives official status as a 501c3 non-profit organization.
2017
PRESENTS: Queer|Art introduces Queer|Art|Pride, an annual showcase of recent work by Alumni of the Mentorship program. Learn More.
2017
AWARDS: Queer|Art launches a new Awards initiative with Queer|Art|Prize. Learn More.
2017
PRESENTS: Queer|Art introduces the Community Portrait Project, an annual commission of digital portraits celebrating the artists of our growing community. Learn More.
2017
AWARDS:Queer|Art launches the Barbara Hammer Lesbian Experimental Filmmaking Grant. Learn More.
2019
AWARDS: Queer|Art launches the Eva Yaa Asantewaa Grant for Queer Women(+) Dance Artists. Learn More.
2019
Travis Chamberlain, who joined Queer|Art in 2017 as Managing Director, is announced as Executive Director. Learn More.
2019
AWARDS: In partnership with the Robert Giard Foundation, Queer|Art launches the Robert Giard Grant for Emerging LGBTQ+ Photographers. Learn More.
2020
PRACTICE: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Queer|Art|Mentorship reformats its structure to work within a virtual framework. The move to a remote fellowship enables QAM to expand nationally for the first time, supporting both remote and in-person participation between early-career and established LGBTQ+ artists from across the country.
2020
AWARDS: Queer|Art launches the Illuminations Grant for Black Trans Women Visual Artists. Learn More.
2020
Queer|Art prioritizes racial equity advocacy & COVID-19 recovery efforts. Immediate steps include the publication of a collectively written Call for Action & Accountability that details QA’s commitment to dismantling white supremacy. Learn More.
2020
The Queer|Art|Mentorship Giving Circle is founded as a mutual aid initiative that pools donations from community members and provides direct financial aid to artists who need support defraying costs of basic needs. Created in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Giving Circle is now administered on an ongoing basis. Learn More.
2021
Queer|Art's Board of Directors becomes majority people of color, more accurately reflecting the diverse community of creatives they strive to support.
2021
Queer|Art becomes a fiscal sponsor for culturally aligned initiatives. We currently support Art For Black Lives, Body Hack, Lite Brite Neon, Transmission, Black Excellence Collective, Doll Invasion, and the Trans Oral History Project.
2021
PRACTICE: Queer|Art|Mentorship debuts the QAM Retreat, a weeklong residency providing an opportunity for Fellows to become acquainted as a cohort and hold space for collective and individual reflection.
2022
Queer|Art endorses the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement to end Israeli occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid. QA later reaffirms their commitment to the BDS movement, as well as the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), in 2023. Learn More.
2023
Queer|Art becomes trans-led for the first time, as Río Sofia and L Marmon step into Co-Executive Director roles. The move ushers in a new era of shared leadership, characterized by consensus based decision making, and a new pay equity model for staff.
2024
Queer|Art grieves the passing of Cecilia Gentili, beloved QA Board member, organizer, storyteller, artist, mother, mentor, and light in our community. Learn More.
2025
Queer|Art launches their 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, detailing key organizational objectives. The plan centers three goals: Build Organizational Power, Grow the Artist Ecosystem, and Transform Culture. To achieve this goals, QA is projecting to double our budget from $600K to at least $1.2M over the next 3-5 years. Learn More.
2026
Queer|Art grows to a staff of 4 full time directors, with Río Sofia acting as Executive Director, Ita Segev as Development & Partnerships Director, Reya Sehgal as Programs Director, and Andrius Alvarez-Backus as Communications Director.
2026
AWARDS: Following a 4 year hiatus, Queer|Art|Prize returns as two $20K prizes in the areas of Recent Work and Sustained Achievement, making it the largest cash grant for LGBTQ+ artists in the country. The Prize is relaunched in partnership with VISU Contemporary.
2026
MENTORSHIP Queer|Art|Mentorship celebrates its 15th anniversary, and 150th Mentorship pair.