This month I have been invited to show my work in a handful of shows dedicated to uplifting queer voices, I am happy to participate and honored to be invited. I have a handful of my drawings and storyboards showing around Denver. For one show in particular I created three works specifically for Pride Month and queer history.
My idea spurred from a book I am reading, “It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight A Pandemic” by Jack Lowery. The history of the AIDS epidemic and the fight for life are something I’ve not explored a lot, but this intersection of art and my own queer history was a great introduction to the struggles my ancestors went through. (HIGHLY recommend this book whether you are queer, an ally, a creative, or not!)
As you’ve seen, I’ve been carving Pink Pearl erasers to learn block printing and along the way I’ve made miniature storyboards to aid in my learning process. The first one I created I immediately had the idea of how I could frame the process and the final prints, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to be about the process or on a specific subject. These storyboards provide a limited space and require succinct information.
As I started reading this book it all came together and I knew just what I wanted to try out my idea on: queer history. Just in time for Pride and my upcoming shows!
I focused on three major movements that deeply impacted the queer community and still play out in our lives to this day:
1. The Lavender Scare
2. The Stonewall Riots
3. Silence = Death (The fight for life during the AIDS epidemic)
The Lavender Scare started in the United States Government when gay folks were fired in mass in fear that homosexuals were inherently a security risk. This still plays out in the discrimination we face in employment opportunities, housing, public life…you can see it best in how trans people are being forced out of public life actively (the tall tale signs of genocide.)
The Stonewall Riots took place in 1969 and is now celebrated as the first Pride. Queer life was heavily policed and people were often brutalized in the process. A space to gather was a right queer folks struggled to find safety in, let alone even having a place to gather. Police raided bars and public spaces creating fear and danger when finding joy in community. Black trans women are why we have so many of the rights we’ve won today and were the first to throw the bricks that started the infamous Stonewall Riot.
Note that many of the rights once won are being dismantled and queer existence is still under constant attack ; policing our bodies and lives with violence is thriving today. Life as a queer (and trans) person is one lived in protest and fear while fighting for the right to have peace and joy.
Pride is a RIOT. Pride is a PROTEST. Pride is JOY.
Silence = Death is the most recognizable imagery that came from the fight for life during the AIDS epidemic. Gran Fury, the creative group responsible for many of the historic imagery you see coming from the protests of ACT UP during the epidemic, are the creators of the infamous “Silence = Death” poster many of us know and use to this day.
Public health standards are still discriminatory based on our gender and sexuality and we are still labeled health hazards to the general public. Studies, like that of bodies other than white, cis, heterosexual men, are severely lacking, creating endless health crises and misinformation that dangerously impacts queer bodies.
A brief history of major historical moments wrapped up on a 2.2 x 7.9 inch piece of paper. Images carved into a 2 15/32 x 1 x 3/8 inch eraser and stamped on a 2.5 x 3.5 inch card.
When I went to frame these I had just the idea and my friend, M, helped me get them buttoned up. We had a lovely moment to appreciate our identities and talk about the people who made our lives safer and fought for our existence throughout recent history. They look so great and I am very proud of these works:
All three of these works are available for purchase for $400 each. If you are interested in purchasing them (or just one, they are sold individually) email me at raven@ravenrohrig.com and we will get you all set!
Happy Pride! I am so happy to be here – queer, trans, bisexual, joyful, myself, and living unapologetically. I hope you have a safe and joyful Pride. Remember what we are celebrating and what we fight for: no one belongs in a closet or rejected based on their identity.
A Good Cunt 
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