How Roxxy Dazzles brought two neighbors together.
Surplus Space is in a small house in a residential neighborhood, so a unique audience we have available are our neighbors. The diversity of experience available in the neighborhood brings in audiences with varied individual interest in current socially and politically engaged ideas. These discussions happen amongst friends, but often not as readily amongst neighbors.
An interesting interaction happened with a neighbor due to her visit during “Presenting Roxxie Dazzles”, a performative installation where artists Jonathan Eric Gann, Manny Layers, and Leif Lee embodied a queer character to create a conceptually cohesive body of work throughout the house. Part of the exhibition was located in the outdoor space visible from the street where the artists created an altar dedicated to queer individuals who were victims of hate based violence.
On a Saturday during our gallery hours, a neighbor stopped by to check out the altar with her daughter, who looked up at her mom and said that this was something hitting really close to home. Several days later while Gabe Flores was outside working in the yard the same neighbor stopped by and explained how her son, who is transgendered, was recently going through a very public battle with a private Christian college. She explained that he was not allowed to live on campus due to the institution’s discriminatory campus policies. She knew because of the exhibition she could speak comfortably with Flores since there was a shared mutual feeling regarding fairness. She spoke of her concern of how to support a loved one while at the same moment feeling so frightened for them.
This interaction happened because of a show. The works we exhibit at Surplus Space come from our belief in the power we feel art possesses. We believe art has the power to let people see their own experience in a very real and meaningful way that allows individuals to not feel so alone. Our neighbors at Surplus Space are some of our most engaged and regular in attendance. We are finding that some of the most exciting conversations with neighbors happening several days or weeks after seeing the exhibition. For some it is the only art shows they’ve been to in years and for some it the first ever exhibitions attended.
Written by Gabe Flores for a 2015 Precipice Fund grant proposal for Surplus Space.