There are FOUR amazing queer artists doing crowd funding to develop capital to finish their amazing projects! A couple are ending in just a few days so act soon!
I believe that supporting queer art is vital to survival. In a world where we don’t see ourselves represented in mainstream culture, where even if we do see an LGBT person probably they aren’t fat, a person of color, disabled, older and/or working class. And speaking of class, it can be really hard to fund your projects as an artist with limited means and without parents or relatives who can patron, or the skills and resources to write grants.
It is also important to remember that art isn’t just creation, it’s also all the business stuff, preparing things for print, layout, interfacing with printing vendors/distribution/post office trips. Endless biz. When you’re trying to do this with limited artist resources it is hard!
When queers have spending power to put behind projects that we believe in, that speak to us and that uplift images of different queers, it is radical, beautiful and something we can do to nudge the world. This is why I love crowd funds.
Okay, pitch over, lez get to it!
1. Next World Tarot by Cristy Road
Cristy Road’s HOTLY anticipated tarot deck has been in the works for a couple of years. The whole deck is modeled by queers. She’s even got ME slated to model for one of the cards (I don’t know which card yet). It is truly one of my favorite parts of being an artist is the honor of getting to be in my friends’ art. I cannot wait to see the gorgeous results. Cristy’s work is floaty, gritty, magical, whimsical and are detailed wonderscapes. Next World Tarot will make a vibrant and beautiful tarot deck unlike any other I’ve ever seen. (Check out my review of Spit an Passion for more of Cristy’s great work.)
From Cristy: My stories are about smashing systematic oppression, owning our truths, being accountable to the people and places that support us, and taking back a connection to your body that may have been lost through trauma or societal brainwashing. The NEXT WORLD TAROT is a visual spectacle of both the battle cry and the reconnection, between outcasts and their criminalized identities.
You can pre-order your tarot deck for $45 or get a postcard or some other amazing Cristy Road work for your home and heart.
2. Queers in Nature Book by Shoog McDaniel–Crowd fund Ends on Sunday!!!!
Shoog McDaniel is the photographer behind one of my favorite Instagrams. Queer babes, nature, sweetness, adventures, an airstream trailer. All wonderfully captured by this mega talented photographer. When they announced their crowd funding campaign I immediately grabbed a presale of the book because their art is so beautiful. The dreamy Florida naturescape in their photos inspired my trip to the Florida Keys last Spring. I would love to see Shoog sell out of this book and get enough funding to publish their next book Rad Queer Spaces.
The book is only $30 shipped, and I already treasure mine even though I haven’t received it yet!
In Shoog’s words: My name is Shoog McDaniel and I am a fat, genderqueer artist and photographer living in Gainesville, Florida. It has long been my dream to produce a tangible book of my photography, because I feel that it is important to have visual representations of the beauty and strength that queers hold. This book brings together the natural flora and fauna of Florida and the magic of southern queers, and I am so excited to be able to finally share it!
3. visions: a crystal oracle deck by Jessika Fancy
An oracle deck is kind of hard to explain.
In the words of Jessika Fancy: An oracle deck can be used much like a tarot deck as a source of guidance and inspiration when life presents us with its many challenges. It is meant to be an intuitive tool for anyone that chooses to use it, as there is no right or wrong way to do so.
This is the latest of Jessika’s gorgeous, powerful witchy products and I think it is going to be a really great tool! Each deck and booklet comes in a hand dyed pouch!
The pre-order of the deck is $45 and should arrive by early/mid December!
4. OCCULT GENERATION – A hardboiled sci-fi graphic novel series
I just received this from my friend Sophie Spinelle, the pin-up portrait artist behind Shameless Photography the body positive feminist pin-up photography studio I mention a lot on my blog.
In Sophie’s words: Occult Generation is pulp graphic novel set in 1920s New York City featuring the paranormal, queer culture, and a secret society in Harlem fighting to stop the remnants of the confederacy.
It’s going to be a smart, politically incisive, and visually gorgeous book. Its heroes will be people of color, queer folks, people of size, and people with disabilities. I’m going to be playing a villian, and Kearstin is one of the good guys.
I can’t tell you how excited I am about this project. I can’t wait for you to see it and read it, and see some of yourself represented in its pages.
Maybe you love sci fi and graphic novels and this is up your alley? They are only halfway to their goal and six days to go!
Yay! So good to see the Next World Tarot here…and so cool you’re modelling for it! Thanks for the heads-up about the crystal oracle deck too.