“What, Like You Get In Parrots?…You Haven’t Got A Parrot, Have You?”: I Watched “It’s A Sin” And I Have Questions
TV

“What, Like You Get In Parrots?…You Haven’t Got A Parrot, Have You?”: I Watched “It’s A Sin” And I Have Questions

Are all Welsh twenty-somethings well versed in parrot illnesses? Are they experts in bird diseases? Apparently so if we’re to believe a bizarre scene–one of many–in the critically acclaimed surprise hit British drama miniseries It’s a Sin, which traces the AIDS crisis through 1980s and early 1990s London. In the scene in question, wide-eyed, endearingly … Continue reading

Wayne Koestenbaum’s ‘My 1980s & Other Essays’ Encourages My Inner Fangirl
Books

Wayne Koestenbaum’s ‘My 1980s & Other Essays’ Encourages My Inner Fangirl

In his fantastic essay on art critic James Schuyler in his recently published collection My 1980s and Other Essays, cultural critic and poet Wayne Koestenbaum writes, “Liking is itself an art and a difficult one.” Following this statement like his own personal mantra, Koestenbaum proves the utter critical importance of unabashed obsession and fanaticism. Continue reading

How Do We Make Them Listen: Thoughts on (re)Presenting AIDS: Culture & Accountability
Art

How Do We Make Them Listen: Thoughts on (re)Presenting AIDS: Culture & Accountability

Visual AIDS and the Pop-Up Museum of Queer History hosted a public forum, (re)Presenting AIDS: Culture & Accountability, to discuss the responsibilities of museums, galleries and other institutions when mounting exhibitions about HIV/AIDS. Organized in part due to Pop Up Museum of Queer History’s Hugh Ryan’s insightful New York Times editorial “How To Whitewash A Plague,” the forum was designed to, as moderator Ann Northrop described, create a space for “productive thinking for future work,” as well as understand the way the community interacts with cultural institutions. Continue reading