This symposium is part of "Town Meeting 1978 - 2028" a multi-year initiative led by queer interdisciplinary artists Nick Vaughan & Jake Margolin to inspire and coordinate programming across Houston in Fall 2028 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of "Town Meeting 1" a pivotal 1978 convening of 4,000 LGBTQIA+ Houstonians at the Astro Arena, which galvanized Houston’s emerging LGBTQIA+ rights movement and helped lead to the creation of major institutions including The Montrose Center and The Montrose Clinic (Legacy Health).
Following a 2025 Symposium at Art League Houston, we are convening artists, organizers, and scholars to explore the history and potential of queer artistic participation. The symposium will look at examples of queer artistic inquiry and collaborations between queer artists and broader LGBTQIA+ political and social initiatives to imagine future organizing.
Presenters include:
Julia Bryan-Wilson
Frances Cava-Humphrey
Mo Cortez
Sol Diaz-Peña
Joelle Espeut
free feral
Koomah
Brandon Mack
L. Frank Manriquez
Ayanna Joliet Mccloud
Chris E. Vargas
Nick Vaughan & Jake Margolin
Documentation by Violette Bule
(read presenter bios here)