There are movements and organizations that come about with very direct intention, and then there are those that organically mature in a way that leaves you questioning if there was ever a choice.
When David Cowan, the founder of Queer Arts Athens, first moved to Athens almost four years ago, it was on a full ride to UGA to attend the master’s program in acting. Despite his time in the program being what Cowan describes as very “insular,” he had an interest in the city’s culture and chose to remain here after graduating despite his cohorts, and only friends at the time, moving on as many students do. Atlanta was a next step that lost its charm.
“I got tired of this idea of telling someone else’s story. Like I wanted to tell my own story, and I started identifying more as a performance artist, and I really wanted to put my own work into the world. So that’s where the idea for Queer Arts Athens kind of started happening,” says Cowan.
However, leaving the UGA bubble also meant leaving behind important health center resources, including psychologists and therapists, and losing health insurance. After reaching out via Facebook in desperation, Cowan was directed to Nuçi’s Space, where he quickly received the care needed to get back on track, in a good headspace and move forward. The experience left Cowan wanting to thank Nuçi’s Space, tell his story and help others share their stories—all through performance art. In this way, the organization Queer Arts Athens and its upcoming inaugural event Professor Q’s Quorum of Quintessential Queers emerged together.
“The community response has just been overwhelming, and it’s really, really growing. It was all just in flow, you know, like, I didn’t necessarily have a plan, but I would have an impulse, and I would want to act on it. And I knew it was right. So I would take a step forward. And then I took another step forward, and took another step forward,” says Cowan.
The goals of Queer Arts Athens are to educate, provide and generate. This means educating activists and queer artists on how to use artistic expression to enact change, providing safe spaces to gather and commune, and then generating opportunities for them to perform. Professor Q’s Quorum will be the first of similar events, held at Nuçi’s Space on June 30 with the main show from 7:30–9 p.m. and a dance party from 9–11 p.m. The show is a theatrical production—with sets, costume, story and the host character created by Cowan—that is a celebration of queerness and exploration of queer history. Performing artists include hip-hop artist Cassie Chantel, stand-up comic Miles Bunch, Athens Showgirl Cabaret and more. In order to keep the event free to the public, Cowan won an ACAC Arts in Community performance grant, a San Fransisco-based Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence grant and a sponsorship from the Athens Pride & Queer Collective.
Between acts, Cowan as the master of ceremonies Professor Q will perform vignettes of queer history. For those interested in exploring queer history before or after the show, Cowan suggests three resources: UGA students can take George Contini’s class THEA 4300: Queer Theatre and Film, observational learners can watch the TV series “The Book of Queer,” and readers can pick up Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker. However, the event also features famous queer art displayed in the background—art that came to Cowan through an interesting Athens connection.
Part of Cowan’s process in finding performers was to attend open mics around Athens, which led him to the Café Apollinaire event at Flicker Theatre & Bar. Doubling as a memorial service for the Georgia Fine Arts Academy founder William Bray, Cowan learned about Bray’s legacy and felt an overwhelming connection between their organizations’ vision and goals. During the event, Cowan met a close friend of Bray’s who later messaged him about feeling like he was the right person to inherit some of Bray’s items—a collection of books and DVDs about queer art. The images from this collection make up the art to be on display during Professor Q’s Quorum.
“This is how it happened in my life. And you can do it, too. I think that’s one of the things that Queer Arts Athens sort of teaches is, like I talk about this idea sometimes of queer excellence; be fully your queer identity. And the queer identity is a powerhouse of creativity and expression,” says Cowan.
The Queer Arts Athens tagline is “It’s safe to be you,” and Cowan looks forward to continuing to foster that sentiment through events, classes, discussions and, most enthusiastically, celebrations.
WHO: Professor Q’s Quorum of Quintessential Queers
WHEN: Thursday, June 30, 7–11 p.m.
WHERE: Nuçi’s Space
HOW MUCH: FREE!
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