Venture Grant: "Gay Shame" Conference/Holly Hughes
VENTURE GRANT PROPOSAL
INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT
I request funding to present the Obie award winning artist, Holly Hughes at Colorado College in a performance of her award winning solo production of Preaching to the Perverted. Additional funding is also requested to attend the "Gay Shame" Conference at the University of Michigan.
Holly Hughes is one of the primary and singular voices in performance art in America. A major contributor to the areas of performance art, lesbian theatre and contemporary dramaturgy, and a passionate and vocal advocate of diverse voices within the artistic community, Ms. Hughes, has conscientiously and consistently provided a much needed forum addressing gender balance in queer performance and studies and has enriched the artistic landscape of the United States.
The "Gay Shame" Conference is a national symposium on queer politics and gender studies. With an amazing list of internationally recognized scholars and theorists, directors and performers, professors and activists, this conference will be one of the most important academic and artistic events relevant to queer communities in the United States. The conference includes several panels of discussion, presentations, screenings, and performances all addressing current queer politics and issues. (Holly Hughes will be one of the featured artists participating in the conference symposia and performing her new work, After A Fashion.)
In the spring of 2002, my request for a Thematic Minor, "Women and Performance," was approved by Colorado College. Combining courses in Drama and Dance and Women’s Studies this thematic minor addresses my passionate interests in women’s studies, performance and theatre. The combination of these disciplines, particularly the theoretical approaches to these subjects, could not be found in one department. Through the courses listed below and with the cooperation of professors in various departments, I have been successful in realizing the Thematic Minor within the liberal arts curriculum of Colorado College:
- DR 105: Acting I: Introduction to Acting
- DR 200: Topics in Drama: Creating New Musical Theater
- DR 200: Topics in Drama: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Theater
- DR 402: Contemporary Theater 1950-Present
- WS 200: Introduction to Feminist Thought
- WS 230: Women in Music
- WS 285: Women and the Body
In the classes listed above, many of the theories and practices significant to feminist ideas and/or theatrical presentation were addressed. These classes provided a historical context, theoretical foundation and greater understanding of the world in which women participate as playwrights, performers, actresses, directors, designers, dramatic theorists, and stage hands. The requirements of a thematic minor also include "bring[ing] together much of what I have learned in my minor" in the form of an Integrative Experience. The examination Holly Hughes’ work and aesthetic has become a central component to my thematic minor and Integrative Experience. "[My work] is about feminist issues, it’s about dealing with white privilege, and it’s about lesbian issues and lesbian eroticism," as Ms. Hughes states in an article, "No Trace of the Bland: An Interview with Holly Hughes," by C. Carr.
In order to accurately analyze and understand Holly Hughes’ work and the world in which she writes and performs, the proposed integrative experience, "Preaching to the Perverted: Holly Hughes, a Case Study," will be supported by further research in the areas of feminism and gender theory, gay politics, and drama theory. The "Gay Shame" Conference will provide such quality research. Working with advisors, Professor Tom Lindblade, the first semester of 2002-2003 and Associate Professor Clinton Turner Davis, the second semester, I have examined the work(s) of female performance artists, queer theater art and aesthetics, and concentrated on theories supporting and contradicting various feminist and queer perspectives in the arts and performance.
"Preaching to the Perverted," the centerpiece of my Integrative Experience, developed from Ms. Hughes’ experience of being de-funded by the National Endowment of the Arts in the early 90’s. (The presentations of the 2nd Cornerstone Arts Week, lesbian performance artist, Peggy Shaw; gay writer, Bernard Cooper and performance artists, Brian Freeman and Tim Miller-also one of the "NEA Four," have added new depth and dimension to this project. These artist will be interviewed during their visits to Colorado College.)
Ms. Hughes has graciously and enthusiastically accepted an invitation from the student organizations, EQUAL, QSA and FemCo, to visit Colorado College May 5-7, 2003, and give two performances of her signature work, Preaching to the Perverted. Theater Workshop has generously provided Taylor Theater for these performances at a nominal cost. EQUAL, QSA, and FemCo have agreed to help with producing this campus event. The presentation of diverse artistic events of the highest quality, aligned with pedagogical experiences, particularly to CC students, as well as to the college and Colorado Springs communities is grounded in many of the significant tenets of the Cornerstone Arts Initiative.
The final component of "Preaching to the Perverted: Holly Hughes, a Case Study," will be the presentation of my research as part of the panel discussion following the performance(s) by Holly Hughes.
It is my understanding in applying for this grant as a student that Imay be awarded up to $850. Any finances awarded will be used to cover my visit to Michigan and partially cover Ms. Hughes’ visit to Colorado College.
ATTACHMENT A:
BUDGET
"GAY SHAME" Conference
|
$325.00 60.00 40.00 $425.00 |
$425.00 |
Tickets: |
$15.00 N/C N/C $15.00 |
$15.00 |
Lodging (University of Michigan Student Housing) |
$0.00
|
$0.00
|
Food (3 meals x 3 days) |
$100.00
|
$100.00
|
|
|
||
|
|
Sub Total
|
$530.00
|
ATTACHMENT B
Holly Hughes performance at Colorado College
|
$325 325.00 |
325.00 |
|
|
180.00 50.00 100.00 3,000.00 3330.00 |
3330.00 |
|
|
126.00
|
126.00
|
|
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Sub Total
|
3781.00
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Attachment A Attachment B |
530.00
3781.00 4,311.00 |
|
Notes:
1.) Attachment B is for partial funding.
2.) Additional funding for Holly Hughes granted thus far:
$200.00 Department of Drama an Dance
$ 50.00. L. Weidmann
ATTACHMENT C:
"GAY SHAME" CONFERENCE – CALENDAR OF EVENTS
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
Thursday, March 27
6:00 Reception
7:00 Opening remarks by Valerie Traub
7:30 Screening: Andy Warhol, Screen Test #2
9:00 Performance: Vaginal Davis, "Intimacy & Tomorrow"
Friday, March 28
9:00 Breakfast
10:00-10:30 Welcome & Introductory Remarks: David Halperin and Nadine
Hubbs: "Why gay shame now?"
10:30-12:00 Discussion "Mario Montez, For Shame"
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-2:00 Gay Shame Activism: Matthew Johnson, Chair
2:00-3:30 Fuck Activism?: Judith Roof, Jaime Hovey, Dennis Allen 3:30-4:00
Break
4:00-5:30 Porn & Publicity, Sex & Shame: Ellis Hanson, Amalia
Ziv, Samuel R. Delany 5:30-6:30 Response & roundtable discussion:
Leo Bersani, Biddy Martin, Jennifer Moon
Saturday, March 29
9:00 Breakfast
10:00-12:00 Queer/Disabled Shame: Terry Galloway, Robert McRuer 12:00-1:00
Lunch
1:00-2:00 The shame of queer history/Queer histories of shame: Deborah
Gould
2:00-3:30 Response &roundtable discussion: Esther Newton, Adela Pinch,
Carroll SmithRosenberg, Martha Vicinus
3:30-4:00 Break
4:00-6:30 Final discussion: Barry Adam, Anne Herrmann, Holly Hughes, Joan
Lipkin; Gayle Rubin
8:00 pm Performance: Holly Hughes, "After a Fashion"
10:00 pm Shameless dance party for the whole community: DJ, Gayle Rubin.