What if an institution existed that preserved, archived, and celebrated queer prairie culture, history, and art? In Center for Queer Prairie Studies, curator Karl Jones presents an exhibition centered in parafiction, featuring works by LGBTQ2S+ artists from Oklahoma and surrounding states.
Queer individuals have historically been among those who led the way forward in the region’s creative sectors. Center for Queer Prairie Studies imagines an institution that offers interactive and history-based exhibitions that examine contemporary art and significant artifacts of the queer community. Blending fact and fiction into ‘parafiction,’ the project features works by dozens of experienced local artists alongside presentations of queer history, real and fabricated archival materials, and historically inspired installations.
Center for Queer Prairie Studies seeks to inspire a sense of wonder and understanding at the depth and breadth of cultural contributions made by the LGBTQ2S+ community in the region. Using the prairie setting is an effort to center the land itself in the dialogue and recontextualize it within queer culture both regionally and nationally. Center for Queer Prairie Studies is a tangible realization of reimagined pasts, creative presents, and radical futures for the surrounding queer community.
