On August 20, on Maryland Walk in Cherry Grove, Visual AIDS, which supports artists living with HIV and AIDS and maintains a data base/archive of images of art created by artists with HIV and AIDS, introduced the community to its Fire Island Artist Residency (FIAR) program, founded by Chris Bogia and Evan J. Garza, at an open house.
“Every artist should be making art out here. This is a place charged with queer history,” said Grove resident Chris. “Artists have [this weekend already] produced a lot of art.” Five artists, three men and two women, in residence this season, spoke about and showed images of their art, some of which was on display on the premises.
Travis Boyer, originally from Fort Worth, Texas, and living in New York for a decade, discussed his textiles, indigo dyeing, quilts, and feminist fiber art, incorporating photography and performance. Hailing from the Catskills and living in Chicago, Elijah Burgher explores mysticism, occult rituals, masculinity, queer sexuality, and violence in his drawings.
A.K. (Aisha) Burns, originally from Santa Cruz, and her partner, Katherine Hubbard, from Philadelphia, showed the collaborative work, “The Brown Bear,” a table of meaningful photos, and also discussed Aisha’s videos and minimalist cement sculpture, and Katherine’s costumes for events and performances.
Ryan Brewer spoke of the water-only fast he is currently going though, while engaged in a spiritual vision quest concerning the Meat Rack as a place of magic and history, and meditating in a circle drawn in the sand on a hill there. His art concerns shamanism and reconciling paganism with Christianity.
For more information, visit www.fireislandartistresidency.org.