Libraries Exhibit Merges Monster Movies With A Drag Persona

The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) will play host to the opening of “Libraries”, an exhibit that curates content from art dialogues, natural history, popular culture, along with queer, cultural and craft theory this fall.

Toronto, Ontario (I-Newswire) October 21, 2012 - The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) will play host to the opening of “Libraries”, an exhibit that curates content from art dialogues, natural history, popular culture, along with queer, cultural and craft theory this fall. Through three installation artworks, the exhibit showcases similarities between knowledge, gender and nature to provoke question and discussion from its viewers.

Each installation in “Libraries” is designed to discover normalization and beauty in unexpected places. Gathering material from a variety of influences including monster movies, and her very own drag persona, artist Nancy Anne McPhee hopes to attract a wide audience of curious minds to her Toronto exhibit. The artist remarks, “One of the most exciting things for me about all of these artworks is that they are well-received with curiosity and intriguing interpretations outside of the visual arts community.“

When visiting the exhibit, viewers will experience three artwork installations entitled “Library of Depth and Gender” (a collection influenced by natural history, monster films and drag), “Library of a Traveling Dandy” (a re-imagination of an early 1900s science writer), and “Delineation” (a collection of 65 squid, octopus and nautilus drawings that provoke human comparison). “ I believe that this work is well suited to the CLGA because of its evident investigation of collections of knowledge, and how libraries can reveal an open perspective of the world while simultaneously being closed units,” says McPhee.

The exhibit opens on Friday, October 26 2012 with a public reception at the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (34 Isabella St) from 7:30pm – 10pm. “Libraries” will be open to public viewing until its close on December 2, 2012.

About The Artist:

Nancy Anne McPhee is a textile installation artist originally from Alberta and now based in Montréal, Québec. McPhee works with themes of knowledge, gender and biological bodies, in large-
scale drawings, silk trap unto quilt installations and theatrical performances as a collective member of the Drag King troupe Dukes of Drag. She has shown across Canada in commercial galleries, artist run centres and public theatres, recently including a solo exhibition at Galerie FOFA, Montréal, and as a performer in Dukes Up! at the historic Café Cleopatra Drag Bar in Montréal.

About Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives:

The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives was established to aid in the recovery and preservation of LGBT histories. Its mission: to acquire, preserve, organize, and give public access to information and materials in any medium, by and about LGBT people, which are primarily produced in or concerning Canada. To support this function, the Archives also maintain significant non-archival collections, which include a research library, international subject files, and an international collection of queer periodicals. It is the CLGA’s mandate to make this information available to the public for education and research. Over the years, the CLGA has helped hundreds of people - students, artists, journalists, lawyers, filmmakers—who have completed numerous projects inside and outside of the LGBT community.

Website: http://www.clga.ca
Twitter: @CLGArchives
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CLGArchives

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