FEATURE FEATURE
“QUEERING SPACE”
for Creators
A recent art initiative produced by Athens’ very own has goals of hosting inclusive art spaces for queer members of Ohio University and the community.
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BY ADDIE HEDGES | PHOTOS BY DYLAN BENEDICT | DESIGN BY CJ HERR
tanding in a parking lot surrounded by more people than she had been in months, Cricket Jones was overcome by a sense of healing. She watched as her colleagues, local artists and art enthusiasts distanced themselves from each other physically, but not emotionally. They were sharing what they had created in isolation, and now that they were able to gather again, they sought to reconnect through each other’s acts of creativity. During the pandemic, Jones, a local artist known in Athens for her spoon rings, says she noticed for the first time how much people needed art; whether it was to create it and showcase it, or just the need to experience it. Following her spontaneous parking lot art show, she was inspired to become an “art curator” for the community. “I am an LGBT person, so I know that LGBT people are marginalized in our society, and I felt that it might be a great, revolutionary thing to have an LGBT art show,” Jones says. Without a set plan, Jones reached out to Micah McCarey, Ohio University’s LGBT Center director and an Athens City Council member, as she was selling her rings on Court Street. McCarey was the perfect person to collaborate with, according to Jones.
Donkey Coffee art curator David Lawrence was looking for an art exhibit around the same time Jones and McCarey began collaborating. According to Lawrence, Chris and Angie Pyle, the owners of Donkey Coffee, are committed to supporting local people and their perspectives on social justice and equality. Setting aside space in Donkey for local artistry is just one of the ways the business supports the community. “They love exhibits that demonstrate a community vibe, a community feel, that incorporates all members of the community and celebrates them for who they are,” Lawrence says. “I knew something was going to happen and … I felt that we were going to have something really, really special going forward.” Envisioning a safe space for artists in the LGBT community, Jones, McCarey and Lawrence decided to showcase LGBT artists’ work in local Athens establishments. Jones, already the curator of Donkey Coffee’s Queer Coincidence Art Experience, wanted to expand the reach of that art exhibit to other uptown businesses, and thus the Uptown Art Hop was created. All the Uptown Art Hop needed was participants, and McCarey’s connection to OU was instrumental in finding LGBT student artists.
Cricket Jones works on her spoon rings in her studio in Athens, Ohio, on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022.
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backdrop || Fall Fall 2021 2021 backdrop
