Meet the artists behind a new queer art initiative

A new generation of multidisciplinary queer artists is emerging around a new immersive experience and space.

looseKANONdance has announced tickets now on sale for fuze, a new display of multidisciplinary queer artwork made possible by artists, creatives, and collaborators from within the LGBTQIA+ community.

fuze will premiere on November 13, 2021, at 325 East 104th St., New York City. There will be in-person and live-streamed showings at 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm, with social distancing due to COVID-19. In-person tickets are $20 and livestream tickets are pay-what-you-can, and are available at www.fuzexperience.com or by phone at 704-562-4439.

“fuze is a unique and immersive experience designed to push the boundaries of queer collaboration and creativity,” said founder Kanon Sapp, creative director of fuze. “Performance and art festivals are traditionally medium-based and transactional. The NYC Queer Arts Community is rich in artists, yet poor in connectivity. The experience aims to de-fuze the way in which we see each other as competition, rather than a community of endless resources. fuze has the intention of creating a space for LGBTQIA+ artists to create and connect outside of Pride month; Pride is a year-round celebration for the queer community. As a community event, fuze will also support local businesses and creatives, especially at our venue in Upper Manhattan venue, where queer and art opportunities are scarcer. We want to ensure that the arts remain celebrated uptown.”

The participating artists are Emma Alosi, Daniel Eggert, Mackenzie Simons, Catherine Wang McMahon, and Mika Cook-Wright.

The participants of fuze were selected through an application process and will have six weeks to create new works using fuze funding. A creative team will work closely with the artists to support their visions.

Emma Alosi

Emma Alosi (she/her) is currently a student at Parsons School of Design in New York, NY studying illustration. She enjoys working in a variety of mediums and styles. Emma is based in New York and the Boston area

Mike Cook-Wright

Mika Cook-Wright (they/him) is an experienced ceramicist and painter exploring themes of race, queer sexuality, and trans identity, and is currently in their senior year pursuing a degree in visual art from Connecticut College.

Daniel Eggert (he/him) is a fine art, portrait, food/drink, and product photographer who resides in Chicago. Photography is a big passion of his, and he loves creating new pieces and experimenting with new techniques within his work. His thirst for knowledge about the photography industry is insatiable.

Mackenzie Simons

Mackenzie Simons (she/her) is a New York-based choreographer and a summa cum laude graduate of East Carolina University with a BFA in Dance: Performance and Choreography with a certificate in Entrepreneurship. Mackenzie was given the opportunity to train at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London where she studied dance science and modern dance under the direction of Hofesh Shechter. Mackenzie has choreographed numerous pieces for dancers of all ages and has been recognized nationally for her choreography.

Catherine Wang McMahon

Catherine Wang McMahon (they/her) is a painter and photographer based in Lenapehoking / New York City and Ohlone / San Francisco Bay Area. In their ongoing sitting portrait series, life-sized portrait paintings document and center Queer BIPOC artists, writers, activists, family, neighbors, and everyday people within their community. Their painting style and process draw from traditional Chinese watercolors, vibrant fauvist color palettes, and impressionist techniques. Catherine remains unapologetically honest in their depictions of the disastrous effects of climate change and inaction as well as their own complicity as a settler of indigenous lands.

For more information, visit www.fuzexperience.com.

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

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