Presented on the occasion of Rashaad Newsome: THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SEE, this artist talk will begin with an in-depth walk-through of the exhibition, followed by a public dialogue and talk-back in the theater. Newsome will be joined by Amanda Hunt, assistant curator, as they discuss the full trajectory of Newsome’s career over the past decade, focusing on his deeply engaged work with the Vogue community and contemporary performances of race, gender, diasporic identities, and pop culture at large.

This program is free with Museum admission, which is a suggested donation of $7 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. To pre-register for this event, please click here. All seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Rashaad Newsome has worked for over a decade with members of the Vogue community, which developed in New York City’s queer ballroom scene of the 1970s. With a particular interest in critiquing the popular appropriation of Vogue in the early 1990s, and with the aim to bring these queer communities of color from the Vogue scene into the institutional space, Newsome creates work that reframes how performers are represented, and highlights their enormous talent for style and bodily movement. The title of the exhibition draws from an emcee’s refrain, while simultaneously pointing to the desire of wanting queer bodies of color represented within the institutional space. Featuring video and collage works made between 2008-2014, THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SEE explores the beauty, agency and complexities of Vogue and performance art.