LGBT Artistic Activism: ACT UP and Dyke Action Machine! in Conversation

In the last 30+ years, artists have been an essential force in bringing gay and lesbian political concerns to the forefront of national dialogue and societal change in the United States. On February 11, The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation will bring together leaders of two key organizations -- ACT UP and Dyke Action Machine! -- to talk about how their artistic practice has contributed to and continues to affect contemporary views and policies around LGBT issues.

Started in the late 1980s in response to the AIDS crisis, ACT UP used direct action and tactical media (posters, graphic design) to demand legislation and funding for medical research. In particular, the image�Silence = Death, a pink triangle with the text "silence = death," which was widely distributed and became part of mass culture, effectively brought attention to the lack of governmental response to the crisis.�

Begun in 1991, Dyke Action Machine! challenges heteronormativity and patriarchy within gay culture and society at large. Using graphic work, Dyke Action Machine! expresses the lesbian community's ambivalence toward the gay movement's push for same-sex marriage and parenthood.

This conversation�is part of a series of events to�accompany�the exhibition�When Artists Speak Truth...�,�currently on view�at The 8th Floor. The exhibition�addresses how artists confront issues of social justice, inequality, and human rights in their work, and features artists�Tania Bruguera, Andrea Bowers, Felix-Gonzalez Torres,�and�Dread Scott�among others.

The conversation, led by Artistic Director Sara Reisman with Avram Finkelstein of ACT UP and Carrie Moyer and Sue Schaffner of Dyke Action Machine! will take place from 6-8 p.m. on�Thursday, February 11, at�The 8th Floor, 17 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011. RSVP required to�[email protected].�