Last Call

Nathan Manna, collage artist

Nathan Manna is a senior at the College of the Holy Cross. His recent show, “lift-off,” was featured at the Worcester PopUp gallery on Franklin Street. Manna was also the winner of the 2020 Juror’s Prize at ArtsWorcester’s College Show.

What is your major at Holy Cross?

I’m a performance studies major. Basically, it’s a self-designed major where I combine theory and practical theater work. I was supposed to be directing three productions this year, and with COVID, I’ve only managed to get approval for one of them. It’s a bummer, but health and safety is of the utmost importance right now.

Yes. Maybe you’ll discover that there’s a new artistic format that you love.

I mean, it’s definitely given me more time to work on collage, so that’s a bonus.

Can you tell me about the overarching themes in your collages?

Sure. To preface it, my show was actually part of a class that I’m taking at Holy Cross about community performance. It’s a pre-professional seminar for those who are interested in careers in the arts. As a person from the Worcester area, I thought it’d be really cool to bring my queer art to Worcester. I actually grew up in Sutton, Massachusetts, just 15 minutes south of Worcester. I mean, there’s not much representation here. And so, I thought my art could be a really cool way to connect with the community in a means that a lot of people aren’t thinking about right now.

Your artist’s statement talks a lot about the history of sexuality as it pertains to gay culture. Can you give me some background regarding the gaps that you’re trying to fill, especially in the city of Worcester, through collage?

The biggest theme I’m dealing with right now is the dichotomy of intimacy and loneliness, exacerbated by COVID-19. If you’re dating someone or you’re in a committed relationship, COVID restrictions may not have impacted you as much because you live with your partner. But, if you’re not dating anyone and all support systems, like the gay bars, are shut down — where do you find a sense of community or someone to spend time with?

Some of the language you use is so evocative, like the word “neutering.” Can you explain what you mean by that term?

Sure. In my experience, evaluating and seeing different media portray gay men, we’re fine having a gay character, but not fine showing the romantic or sexual side of that character. One of the most obvious ones would be Kurt Hummel from “Glee.” The show doesn’t fully develop that romantic relationship with Blaine beyond the fact that they’re dating. Whereas, other characters in the same series have full-blown sexual relationships. The imbalance was what I wanted to reclaim — the sexuality that a lot of different media denies gay men.

It’s interesting you bring up “Glee” because there’s a lesbian arc in that show that was widely applauded with the recently passed Nya Rivera.

There are actually a few problematic elements with that. I felt that lesbian relationship is portrayed in a baiting way between Brittany and Santana. There’s a lot of back and forth like, “Oh, I’m not sure if I’m a lesbian.”

Why did you call your show “lift-off”?

I was inspired by a piece by John O’Reilly. It’s a self-portrait from the 1960s. He takes his body and then mashes it together with different space pieces. There’s a moon landing vehicle and all these other science fiction elements. I was looking into the world he was able to create out of those and I realized two major historical moments happened in very near proximity: the Stonewall uprisings and the launch of the Apollo 11 moon mission. I just found that fascinating and it started generating my exploration between space and gay culture. It became an exploration of what the future might hold.

DYLAN AZARI

In your artist statement, you also mention the influence of an FBI psychic. Can you tell me a little more about that?

Sure. Ingo Swann was this FBI psychic who led several different experiments for the FBI on the use of different psychic mediums. There was plenty about him that even the FBI didn’t discover under constant surveillance. For one thing, he was gay. He made all this fantastic artwork that became very publicly known. Then, when he passed away, an entire collection of gay focused work was discovered. Through that, we can piece together his experience of isolation as a government employee who was working with the FBI and also living as a gay man. In that time period, the pink scare had just ended. He was afraid of losing his job and being ostracized.

What draws you to collage?

I took a collage class last fall at Holy Cross. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to use it for. I was interested as a theater artist in the overlay of bodies. It came full circle as I was creating really abstract pieces and then returning to my roots with gay culture. Through collage, I found I could do a lot of things I couldn’t do in theater with the overlay of bodies. And I also just really enjoyed being able to take pieces of a photograph from 2020 and then another one from 1950 to form a continuum of gay culture.

How has your experience as a gay man shifted from living in a small town to an urban college campus?

It’s really interesting being a student at Holy cross where yes, it’s a Catholic institution, but I found the Jesuits really accepting, open and affirming. We have concentrations like the gender, sexuality and women’s studies program, which has a lot of courses dealing with LGBTQ content. One of the courses I’m taking this semester is focused on music and gay rights. We look at how those two areas intersect and influence each other. Like, how disco was used in the gay rights movement. There’s also the social element of my fellow students who are coming from conservative Catholic backgrounds. The elephant in the room is Bishop McManus who I believe is probably one of the most homophobic bishops in the country, if not the world. He’s attacked the rights of Holy Cross professors and also trans students. It’s an interesting environment to work in, but I’ve found ways to push myself with the help of the faculty.

Do you feel a big environmental shift from growing up in Sutton?

I came out a decade ago, when I was 12. It wasn’t exactly the most well-received response. I faced a lot of bullying and I was pulled from the school system and homeschooled. It just got to a really bad point. Growing up in an isolated bubble, I had to deal with conversion therapy. I need the world to understand these issues. That is the root of where all my art comes from, this need to give representation to the 12-year-old boy who might be unsure of himself and needs affirmation.