LGBTQ+ inclusivity

Barbara Morgan was born in 1900 in Buffalo, Kansas, but was raised in California where she studied painting at UCLA. After college she moved to New York and was a painter for many years, until she had children. She sought out a way to raise children while still pursuing art, and took up photography. She was influenced by Edward Weston’s photography and Martha Graham’s dance performances in New York, as well as the dance rituals of the Navajo and Pueblo peoples after visiting the Southwest. Barbara Morgan took photos of Martha Graham’s historical dance piece, American Document, which represented America from the pre-Columbian Native American era through the early twentieth century. Erick Hawkins was one of the main dancers in the piece. Her photos were printed using gelatin silver prints. This piece can be used to represent the theme of an inclusive world without discrimination based on gender or sexuality because the whole dance piece that Barbara photographed was based on the progression of American society, and how it is constantly changing and improving. As society progresses, the more inclusive and utopian it can become in regards to rights for all people regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Similarly, many of Barbara’s photographs from this exhibit are of Erick, who not only is portrayed as a strong individual, but he is also seen dancing in very fluid motion without restriction or apprehension. Back in the 1900s, an image of a man dancing in this way could be portrayed as feminine, or not very “manly”, but as society has progressed, men, and everyone for that matter, have become much more equally accepted in traditionally “feminine” professions such as dance. This reflection on inclusivity directly correlates to the overall theme of an inclusive world regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

Georges Rouault was born on May 27, 1871 in Paris, France, where he lived his entire life until his death in February of 1958. He specialized in painting and print art, and is associated with the Expressionism and Fauvism movements. Growing up in a poor family in France, his mother was very supportive of his love for the arts and helped him receive an apprenticeship as a glass painter. After a few years of learning how to be a glass painter, he enrolled and attended the École des Beaux-Arts, which was the official art school of France. He soon became a favorite of teacher Gustave Moreau and was heavily influenced by Moreau’s style, especially in his use of color in regards to symbolism. Once out of school, Rouault traveled around Paris and met many artists, as well as Jacques Maritain, who became a dear friend for life. Maritain, a philosopher, introduced Rouault to the ideas of existentialism and spiritualism. As Rouault began to create his own pieces, he felt drawn to Spiritualism and decided to focus his works on religious depictions. This specific religious work, Aimez-vous les uns les autres, is a depiction of Jesus Christ dying on the cross. A very common and reverent image among religious depictions, Rouault made his own version using ink engraving on paper. The main idea of this scene is that Jesus died for the sins of those around him, and this image is all about compassion and forgiveness. Those ideals align with the idea of an inclusive society regardless of gender or sexual orientation because Rouault depicts a moment of suffering, which will ultimately lead to compassion, forgiveness and understanding. Similarly, in a world hoping to be inclusive of all genders and sexual orientations, everyone must be compassionate and understanding of one another.