AsTheGroveTurns.net

This diary contains diverse views and opinions on what goes on in Cherry Grove, the nation and the world. Racism and bigotry have no place here. Please do not engage in personal attacks on other users. The cardinal rule here is to respect others. The opinions published here are those of individual writers and may or may not represent those of our publisher/editor or any other members of our volunteer staff.

To paraphrase a piece of writing that caught my eye on the Internet: "The ability to put my thoughts on (virtual) paper and put them where people can read and respond to them has been marvelous, even if most people who have read my writings haven't agreed with them. If there is any hope for the long term success of democracy, it will be if people agree to listen to and try to understand their  opponents rather than simply seek to crush them." -- RLF

In Memorium -- "My primary purpose in writing these articles is to help provide gays with a sense of their history outside of Stonewall. I feel we have to grab it wherever we are living it and get it down for the generations that will follow in our footsteps."--Mary Kapsalis.

Some Grove clubs are in fierce competition for customers in a sluggish economy.

July 09, 2008 --  I covered so much territory in the last edition that I thought I'd have nothing to write about this time and planned to recap the great upheaval that Porn Star Night at Cherry's (that I subtitle "The Cum Shot Heard Around The World") caused a few years ago. (Photo right: Matthew Rush gets into a lather over adoring fan at Cherry's in 2003.)

I didn't anticipate that there would be alleged raids on the meat rack and Cherry's to cover or that there would be so many participants in The Grove Invades Fire Island Pines event that I would have time to publish only half the pics in a special edition last Friday and put the rest of them here. Then there was a nice party at the home of Don Robb and Mel Rock to cover as well as reporting on a week of sold-out performances of "Confessions of a Mormon Boy," and a Jazz Brunch Fundraiser at Top of the Bay Bistro for Island Rep. Quelle copy overload!

So, the very interesting social study on "Porn Star Night -- The Cum Shot Heard Round the World' will have to wait . . .

***

(Editor: All photos in this story were taken in the meatrack on a very humid Monday, July 7.)

Just as we were putting the last regular edition to bed, we received a curious complaint from a Grove summer resident that Fire Island National Seashore Rangers were arresting people they found screwing around in the meat rack:

"I saw a raid Saturday...yelling at boys who went running out of the bushes. I spoke to two Park rangers Officer Swindle and a female partner yesterday. He said he was there to enforce federal law and anyone having sex would be arrested for a federal crime. . . ."

In photo left, note that the entrance to the rack doesn't say  "Gay Only" anymore

(Editor: I published the name of the person who wrote the letter at the time, but hesitate to do so now because of the abuse that he took from many community members, who advised him to keep quiet and it would go away." My, how times have changed!)

Since the 1950's, freedom to have sex in the meatrack (affectionately known as "Judy Garland Memorial Park") has been fiercely protected by gays to the point of bloody fist fights with townies who used to go in there to "beat up the queers" (after getting a blowjob, I suppose), as well as resisting arrest by Suffolk County Police, who would arraign them, publish their names in the papers and ruin their lives. As fights with law officers grew more bitter, public opinion and law took the side of Cherry Grove residents and police assumed a hands-off policy unless there were complaints.

It is suspected by many who trespass into the Carrington House property on the east end of the rack (owned by the FINS) do so for the purpose of having sex and taking drugs -- acts that facilitate  raids.  There have been an increased number of complaints from a growing population of straights (and gays) with children in the Grove who want the Rangers to patrol the rack and arrest those they see f-----g (frolicking) in the bushes. (Photo right: The Carrington House on a foggy day.)

Gay Liberation has weakened the once fiercely guarded right to meat rack sex. Today it is a cause celebre for only the most avid of "naturists."

After "The Cum Shot Heard Round the World" debacle, I decided not to get involved with hot potato issues that caused people to act without reason, but  when the mainland press started publishing different versions of the incident, I started an investigation of my own.

After questioning the Grove complainant further, I called FINS Press Representative Paula S. Valentine, who was blown away by the publicity caused by the incident and eager to talk.

In short, she said that there was no deliberate attempt to harass meatrack sex enthusiasts. The simple explanation was that more money had been allocated for patrols on Fire Island this summer and Rangers who spotted any acts of public lewdness were bound by law to escort offenders out of the park in handcuffs, if necessary. Ms Valentine noted that unless drugs are involved, only citations are issued. She wrote:

Hello, Richard.

It was nice to have spoken with you this afternoon, and I appreciate your effort to get to the bottom of all this uproar.

Attached is the material that I had submitted to a few other reporters who were also verifying information about the recent incidents. The title of the file/article may be a little misleading, but certainly shouldn't be construed to mean that the Carrington Tract alone will have extra patrols. The extra park rangers will be out on all portions of Fire Island National Seashore's beach and other properties (which also includes the William Floyd Estate in Mastic Beach and headquarters and the Watch Hill Ferry Terminal in Patchogue).

(See attached file: Additional Staff at FINS for 2008_NPS Patrols Expected
to Increase.doc) below:

According to our chief ranger, there was no arrest by NPS officers on
Tuesday June 24, and there were no park service patrols in the Carrington
Tract last night. Since July 1998, there have only been three law
enforcement contacts that resulted in the issuance of citations, including
the two incidents this month. (Verbal warnings don't go into our recording
system.) National Park Service law enforcement officers are held to some
pretty high ethical standards, so all of our staff contacts should be
professional and courteous.

If you'd like to share a statement from our acting superintendent, Sean
McGuinness, you may use this: "Due to all the recent commotion, our new
park rangers are now more aware of the cultural reality of the Meat Rack
and will do their jobs with this in mind. However the guys using those
public park lands need to be more aware of the legal and social realities
of managing a park." Sean plans to meet in person with the community
leaders of the Pines and the Grove to discuss this and get their support for a positive outcome for all.

I'll be out of the office next week (after Monday), but you may give Sean
McGuinness a call at 631-687-4753 if you want to discuss anything more with
him.

Thank you again for your support.

Paula S. Valentine
Public Affairs
Fire Island National Seashore
120 Laurel Street, Patchogue NY 11772
631-687-4759, 631-774-0520 (cell)
paula_valentine@nps.gov
www.nps.gov/fiis

ADDITIONAL STAFF AT FIRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE FOR 2008: NPS PATROLS EXPECTED TO INCREASE

With an increase in the budget this year as part of the National Park Service Centennial initiative, Fire Island National Seashore has been able to increase the number of park rangers, lifeguards and maintenance employees for 2008. This funding is allowing the park to provide regular weekend lifeguard service for the first time in many years at Barrett Beach. More ranger-guided canoe tours are also being offered at Watch Hill. Labor has been provided over the winter to resurface the boardwalk at Sailors Haven with recycled lumber.

     More staffing has also allowed for an increase in patrols on park lands. Park rangers who serve as federal law enforcement officers are obligated to address infractions when they are observed. In the case of patrols through the Carrington Tract--the stretch of NPS land between the communities of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines that is locally referred to as the "Meat Rack" or "Judy Garland Memorial Park"--an increase in NPS presence can be expected due to the additional seasonal and permanent staffing. Law Enforcement patrols are undertaken to check for damages to park resources and facilities. Rangers routinely check in on the Carrington House, which has been boarded up until funding or partners can be found to restore the structure. Park rangers check for litter and vandalism, and impacts to wildlife. Park rangers are also here to provide firs aid and emergency medical services. But when an illegal activity is encountered, they are obligated to do their jobs as federal law enforcement officers.

     In the case of recent incidents, law enforcement officers on routine patrol along the trails through the Carrington Tract happened upon displays of overt sexual activity. The acts were apparently in public view of the trail, where they could be observed by anyone walking by. During the process of issuing a citation for disorderly contact, officers also found what appears to be a controlled substance in the possession of one person. No arrests were made and the 5 subjects issued citations do have the option of either paying a fine or taking the charges to court.

National Park Service administrators realize and recognize the importance of the lands under their care. Many locations are highly valued for their traditional uses. However, it must always be realized that one should never have an expectation of privacy in a public place, and Fire Island National Seashore lands and beaches are public places. While passive nudity is often passed by, overt sexual activity is not ignored.

     No raids have been conducted, no populations have been targeted, but federal law enforcement officers cannot be expected to avoid their obligation to uphold existing laws. Fire Island National Seashore is in the process of developing a new general management plan (GMP). It is through this process that existing regulations may be reconsidered and inconsistencies may be resolved. But until that time, please be mindful and respectful of current laws and regulations, and the existing mission of the National Park Service and Fire Island National Seashore.

     The month of June 2008 is the eighth National Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, and mutual respect is what it's all about.

I did find Ms Valentine very giving and even kidded her when she told me that she was about to take a vacation. (I asked her if she had made those plans suddenly and she laughed.) She was amazed at the ruckus these incidents had caused, but reminded that the bottom line is: public sex Is illegal for everybody.

There was a purported meeting between Cherry Grove Property Owners Association President Larry Lane and Superintendent of the Fire Island national Seashore (FINS) Sean McGuiness, some say in person and some say by phone. An official statement on the meeting was never issued by either party -- at least we never received one. So I can't report on its outcome.

So many versions, all claiming to be the truth. As the old Japanese film Rashomon philosophized: Truth is subjective; thus, all truth is true. Intriguing theory; Frustrating in reality.

I did receive an email from the original Cherry Grove complainant who stated:

Hello Richard;
 
I want to update your readers on the meatrack arrest controversy...as accurately as I can in a sea of misinformation.
 
Most importantly, the arrests and harassment appear to have stopped as of June 26th, after about ten days.
 
 In a meeting with property owners, acting Superintendent of the Fire Island national Seashore (FINS), Sean McGuiness, reportedly apologized for the incidents and blamed them on newly hired rookies. He was quoted as saying "there were no arrests" That is a serious obfuscation.
 
Choire Sicha reported in Radar Magazine:
 
"...Gay publications (including The Advocate, but also Next and Edge) have happily quoted the Department of the Interior's assertion that "no arrests were made." This is parroted by Fire Island residents with the sort of relief that any kind of denial brings. Quick, to West's Encyclopedia of American Law! "[T]he detention of a person need not be accompanied by formal words of arrest or a station house booking to constitute an arrest." If you are not free to leave—for instance, if you are in handcuffs, and a federal agent is searching your pockets—you are most decidedly under arrest. So, for starters, it's a shame that the National Park Service is lying and that gay publications believe it."
 
I personally contacted FINS public affairs rep Paula Valentine about the contradiction and first hand accounts of people being handcuffed and detained. She replied that we were using "differing terminology"....that by their definition a suspect could be handcuffed and detained without being considered "under arrest". I don't know about you, but if I found myself handcuffed by a park ranger I would definitely consider myself under arrest.
 
At any rate, I'm not looking for villains here, and if the issue is resolved, then we can all co-exist peacefully.
 
But it's clear that the changing face of our community...and especially the introduction of families and children...is creating some friction.
 
If I initiated some serious discussions on the subject then I'm glad for that, even if I'm now seen by some as the poster child for public fornication. My primary purpose was to warn visitors that under our draconian laws, a single misdemeaner conviction for public lewdness might ruin carreers and subject one to a lifetime as a registered sex offender.
 
My personal opinion is that responsible parents must recognize the identity of this place as an adult gay resort. Parents who take children skipping through the meat rack are being careless. I have also seen small children in bars like Cherry's and the Ice Palace. I'm not a prude, but that is a cause for concern.
 
At the same time, we all share a responsibility to avoid unwanted exposure to public lewdness. That means keeping it in the bushes and out of sight. I'm told the rangers will not go roaming through the brush looking for sex criminals. That's what I call a reasoned compromise.
 
We can all get along and enjoy the summer without stepping on each others' liberties. Everyone is welcome here...just recognize and respect our core identity.
 
I want to thank many people who supported my brief appearance as an activist on this issue. In this case, it seems that a loud and immediate outcry produced quick and effective results. Signed, D.J.

Ms Valentine added that Ranger patrols stay on the trails. If they see anything illegal going on they are bound by law to escort the offenders out of the park and issue citations. So, go deeper into the bushes and do your thang where you can't be seen from the trails. Bottom line is that public sex is illegal for everybody. If they spot you "doing it" out in the open they can arrest you.

Just when one thinks one can live with the "answers," comes another bit of troubling information that muddies the waters all over again.

BEACHES PROMPT OUTRAGE

by Katy Jordan, Boston Herald.com

Monday, July 7, 2008 -- Frisky sun worshipers are flocking to have sex on the beach in Provincetown - but are sending horrified family vacationers packing, officials said.

Angry Cape Cod National Seashore officials said they are cracking down on public sex acts along the picturesque shoreline after the number of citations for public sex acts more than tripled, from an average of 40 to 132 last year.

"This is not what we're interested in seeing," said George Price, Superintendent of the National Seashore. "Over the last couple of years, public (sex) acts like this have been viewed by visitors."

Price said officials are baffled as to why the vacation Mecca has suddenly become a hotbed of public sex for randy exhibitionists.

"Laws and enforcement have not changed - it just seems to be something that some people decided we want to see," Price said.

Complaints have included whale-watchers sailing past large groups of nude men, and families stumbling upon people engaged in sex acts on the pristine national shore that attracts tens of thousands of vacationers from throughout the world each year.

One complaint, issued in 2007, was from a New Jersey family walking in the dunes who encountered couples and a large group of men having "sex in the nude, including oral and anal sex right out in the open," the Cape Cod Times reported last week.

"The majority is gay, but we've had issues with hetero sex as well. Families are upset and outraged," Price said.

He added that many gay community members are also appalled about the recent surge in public sex, which is illegal under federal and state laws and can incur heavy fines.

"It's really two issues, one is the nude sunbathing, which has been around since the '70s and '80s, and that issue is being addressed.

"But the issue that we're talking about today is public sex: It's a seashore problem and it's a town problem," he said.

(Editor: Is the FINS attempting to "clean up" gay areas at the request of straight families who are moving in and trying to impose "family values" on us?)

What interests me most about this whole affair is the passive reaction that our community has had to the controversy. The original complainant told me that most Cherry Grovers "advised" him not to make waves, ignore the problem and it will go away. Considering our history, that is bizarre!

Cherry Grove promotes itself as a sex, drugs, rock 'n roll kind of place where anything goes. When people take the bait and come over here, I don't think it's fair to arrest them for doing what they were invited here to do in the first place. We must live up to our image or change it.

***

In 2002, the NY State Liquor Authority raided Cherry's on the night that porn superstar Ryan Idol (Photo right) was to appear. I was doing a series or interviews on sex workers who were appearing at the local club that summer and had just finished our talk when at least ten (perhaps more) SLA police barged into the bar, guarded the entrances so that no one could leave and went backstage to talk to the star. Things were very tense for a while, but they finally left and the show went on. Needless to say, the show was a tamer version of what it could have been.

Both gay and lesbian community members took credit for contacting the SLA and prompting the raid. To this day, I don't think some community members ever got over it. . . .

On June 25, 2008, a similar incident occurred at Cherry's when police raided Go-Go Night at the club. I wasn't present, but reports vary from "they stopped the show and told everybody to leave" to "they just stopped some behavior that they considered 'lewd' and left."

Competition between clubs is bitter this year and one place or another is suspected of being responsible for blowing the whistle on fellow business owners by calling the police. There have been other incidents of a similar nature. Wow!

***

Will Don and Mel's late-ish cocktail party spark a chic new trend?

On Saturday, June 28, there were so many shows and parties going on that Don Robb and Mel Rock (photo above bottom left) had a cocktail party at their home at 9 pm so as not to compete with other events. It turned out to be a good hour to have people in and might start a new trend. After dinner cocktails, anyone?

After Mel and Don's party, we dropped by Island Breeze to see how their "pajama and lingerie" theme party was doing. We didn't see anybody in their 'jammies' (unless you consider jockstraps sleepwear. Woof!), but the place was jumping. Fog machines created a "smokey" atmosphere, go-go boys were dancing to the latest disco (read loud) beat and the outdoor decks were jammed with people who wanted to preserve what was left of their ear drums. (Answer: Ever wonder why younger people are such poor communicators? Answer: They're all going deaf!)

The crowd outside was very friendly and talkative and made a lot of two old Nacho Men. The twinks smelled money and paid particular attention to Big Nacho Man. (He loved it!) They don't approach me very often, because, when they do, I psyche them out by asking them what their fathers look like. They hate that!

Here are some pics I took to remind us of the night we were naughty and stayed out 'til almost midnight:

Photos above: Shootin' the shit at The Breeze

***

Tired of noisy bars with music so loud that you can't hear yourself or other people talk? The Cozy Bar on the ground floor of Tides brings back the good ol' tradition of a piano bar that offers good conversation, background music, hefty cocktails, a bartender who knows your name, people are friendly, and you are encouraged to add your two cents to the topic du soir. Cruising is also good here and there are tables for two for more intimate chats. Try it!

When Top of the Bay Bistro opened its doors under new management in the old Top of the Bay Building, it was an immediate success. It offered the opportunity to enjoy great food in a more sophisticated atmosphere under the former ownership of Amelia Migliaccio and continues to do so under hosts Ron King, Justin Jones and Chef Judy.

On Saturday, July 9, Top of the Bay Bistro will host a Jazz Brunch New Orleans style for the benefit of The Island Repertory Theatre Company. For a suggested minimum contribution, you will enjoy cocktails, select from four delicious dishes prepared by Chef Judy and staff and a dessert course. You will also have the opportunity to meet guests of honor New York State Assemblywoman Ginny Fields and Steven Fales, the star of "Confessions of a Mormon Boy" that is currently breaking box office records at The Tides Playhouse. The play is the first in Cherry Grove to offer weekday, as well as weekend performances.

"Confessions of a Mormon Boy" played to stand room only crowds last week will offer five more performances July 9-23. Wednesday and Sunday at 7 pm. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm. Island Rep box office, located on the dock, in the Top of the Bay Bistro building, is open from 11am to 3 pm on performance days. You can also charge tickets by phone at 631 597-9439. You can also buy tickets at www.Ticketmania.com. Box office is also open half-hour before the show, buy I wouldn't wait that long to purchase them. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that all shows have, for far, been sold out by curtain time. Last Saturday, we could have sold at least twice as many as we did because there were no more seats available. (Photo right: Steven Fales, who gives an amazing performance in the play's title role.)

You only have five more days to subscribe to Island Rep's blockbuster summer theatre season that includes "Mormon Boy," and the hilarious cult classic comedy "Sordid Lives" by Del Shores.

As a bonus, subscribers will also attend a performance of "The Rarest of Bird", a play by based on the life of actor Montgomery Clift (photo left) playwright John C. Wood. The drama just finished a well-received off-Broadway engagement that starred professional actor Omar Prince (photo right) who received rave reviews. The full production will be offered August 22 and 23 free of charge to subscribers only. Alternately Rep subscribers will have the opportunity to attend a staged reading of a new play by Tony Finstrom entitled "Standing at the Gates of Janus" , on Sunday, August 24. You can see three blockbuster events for a very reasonable sixty dollars, but you have to subscribe by Sunday, July 13. That's a saving of thirty dollars!

If you'd like your event mentioned here on ATGT, just e-mail info to mailto:AsTheGroveTurnds@aol.com and you'll no doubt see it in our next edition.

As The Grove Turns was founded on May 15, 2000. So far, we have received over a million visits to our site from over fifty countries. Next edition of As The Grove Turns: July 9, 2008. 'Til then, God bless.

www

THE 2008 INVASION OF FIRE ISLAND PINES -- PART TWO

www

The Cherry Grove Art Walk TM-2008
Copyright, 2008, Barbara Ann Levy
 
The Cherry Grove Art Walk TM-2008 will be held this year on Friday , September 5-Sunday, September 7th in Cherry Grove, NY on The Fire Island National Seashore. Visitors and residents to this predominantly glbt summer seasonal resort community will have the opportunity to view some of the best emerging contemporary Fine Art from the NYC and Long Island artist communities. They will be able to watch artist demonstrations, listen to artists talk about their artwork , watch and participate in performance art by local and national talent. Artwork will be exhibited on decks and in quaint seaside homes.
 
Two Cherry Grove Art Walk tour guides will lead the way: Dan Evans, Philadelphia art historian, artist, art critic and writer for The Fire Island Tide and Peter Downes, Deputy Director of The Brooklyn Museum.
 
Stephen Tashjian aka Taboo and Fernando Campeneda represented by The Leslie Lohman Foundation of NYC are lead artists for this walk. In addition , Michael Fitzgerald, Albert Schweitzer, Jesse Ramos and Camilla Fallon will participate as exhibitors in the walk.
 
BIOS
 
Barbara Ann Levy-Founder of The Cherry Grove Art Walk TM

Barbara Ann Levy is the Founder and Coordinator of The Cherry Grove Art Walk TM-2008 and is the Owner and President of The Barbara Ann Levy Gallery, www.balgallery.com, an s-corporation in the state of NY.
 
For nine years Ms Levy owned and managed two contemporary Fine Art galleries located in storefronts in Cherry Grove, NY on The Fire Island National Seashore and in the arts district in Chelsea, NYC, NY. Chase Manhattan Bank gave her a small business loan, start-up money. Gallery shows have received reviews from important critics from major art publications such as Art In America, Art News, Art On Paper, The New Yorker Magazine, The New York Observer, The New York Times, The Village Voice, Fire Island News and The Fire Island Tide. It has shown the artwork of over 90 artists and has given choreographers, writers and poets a place to showcase their work.
 
Barbara is an accomplished artist, painter and photographer in her own right with an extensive art exhibition history, an arts educator who has taught studio Fine Arts skills as well as trained Art Therapy students in undergraduate and graduate college and university programs nationwide at The School of Visual Arts, Pratt Institute and Hofstra University in NY, Springfield College in Massachusetts and recently for AHEC in Doral Florida. She is licensed by the state of New York as a Creative Arts Therapist and won the prestigious New York Art Therapy Association Pam Clark Distinguished Service Award. She has worked with psychiatric populations and substance abusers in recovery using art therapy as a treatment modality. She has also conducted Grand Round lectures and workshops on Art Therapy in hospitals in NYC and Brooklyn, NY.
 
Barbara has a deep and abiding commitment to support and nurture the enrichment of the human spirit made manifest in ‘good works’, transformative ones and in this case Fine Art. She has shown her artwork in corporate settings and was invited by The Juvenile Justice Department in NYC to donate her artwork to their permanent collection. She has shown her art in non-profit artist run organizations like Artist Space in NYC and in gallery settings like The Jock Truman Gallery formerly in NYC.
 
Ms Levy believes that through art, the enrichment of humanity and eventual individual and community self-realization is entirely possible. She states, “Art creates community. It is a centering device like a potter’s wheel in times of reorganization and transformation. Just look at public art like The Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC or the recent on-site art project “The Gates” by Christo in NYC. Through sharing experiences of art, viewers have found they have something essential in common, their humanity and are more alike than they are different. Art helps to organize people and communities”. The act of viewing artwork with others is like the tradition of “breaking bread” in communion and celebration.
 
PETER DOWNES-Deputy Director of The Brooklyn Museum

Peter Downes, a Long Island native, has been working for the past five years at the Brooklyn Museum in the areas of Administration and Institutional Advancement.
 
Peter served on the Advisory Board of All-City, an ongoing citywide exhibition on the history of Graffiti Art and was one of the founders of Island Repertory Theatre Company, a not-for-profit theatre organization on Fire Island where he is also currently on the Board.
 
Peter graduated from The State University of New York, College at Oneonta with a BS in Art History and attended City University of New York where he received the MA in Art History.
 
DAN EVANS-Writer and Art Critic

Dan Evans taught Art History for over 34 years at Adelphi University, Garden City, Long Island and Community College of Philadelphia. During that time he gave numerous tours at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of the Univ. of Pennsylvania and many others. He also gave lectures at The College Art Association, the Popular Culture Association on many topics, ranging from the art of Frida Kahlo, Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence, to the art of the North American Indians.

His art criticism has been printed in magazines and newspapers including the Arts Exchange (Philadelphia) and The Fire Island Tide.
 
KAT CORIC, Artist and Instigator

Kat Coric (1969-) was born in Dubrovnik, Croatia and immigrated with her family to Montreal, Quebec in 1974. She is a multidisciplinary artist, creator, producer and art collector. Coric is recognized as one of the few female, heterosexual artists to work within the contemporary gay circuit party subculture as an activist and an ardent supporter of LGBT rights. She represents an established and ever growing faction of society where gays and straights mingle together professionally and socially. A communicator and connector, possessing a take-charge attitude and a reactionary nature, the outspoken Coric refutes all labels except for one: Instigator.

Coric first gained notoriety while working at the BBCM Foundation / Black & Blue Festival (1997-2002) as Director of Cultural Programming. She produced original artistic events for the foundation, fusing the arts with HIV AIDS awareness. She founded the Black & Blue Festival Annual Art Auction (now in its 11th year), a first of its kind for a circuit party.
 
Coric pioneered the BBCM Foundation Health Education Campaign – an innovative, comprehensive program aimed at educating partygoers about the dangers of recreational drugs. Coric also published a bilingual informative pamphlet on the subject. As early as 1999 Coric warned the Montreal community about the dangers of crystal meth, often using irony to get the urgent message across. A series of posters she created featured Tina Turner urging gay men that “She’s the only good Tina” and coined slogans like “Crystal is better at Tiffany’s”. The posters were reproduced by the Heritage of Pride organisation for Dance on the Pier during New York Gay Pride. In 2005 Coric produced a short film; Leatherealla Against the Evil Crystal Queen. The film was created to be seen in nightclubs and was distributed to clubs and DJ’s around the world. In 2006 Coric produced Montreal’s first Crystal Meth Community Forum.
 
Apart from working with the LGBT community, Coric has also paid particular attention to educating youth, specifically in the field of HIV Prevention. Together with her collaborators she has raised impressive sums of money to support Quebec’s children and families touched by HIV and she has led a movement to encourage prevention. Her physical artwork is intrinsically linked with her life work; thereby her creations are educational tools that advertise health promotion. Considered one of North America’s leading activist artists, she is often called upon as a respected health advocate and has been the subject of numerous TV and print interviews. The special events produced by Coric use a fresh approach and promote social enrichment through art, while raising needed funds and awareness for humanitarian and cultural causes.
 
Coric is produced a fundraising campaign for Art Workshop Lazareti in her native Dubrovnik, where she had a solo exhibition in July 2008. Her future projects include: a new crystal meth public service announcement and an autobiographical video about her art. Coric will be speaking at the 1st Global Conference on Methamphetamine; Science, Strategy and Response, in Prague, Czech Republic in September 2008.
 
Kat Coric is represented by Arch & Company Fine Arts Ltd., Toronto. Her work is in numerous public and private collections.
For more information please contact:
Media: Gael Nantel / Gael Force Winds Communications / Gael.nantel@videotron.ca
Art: Antonio Arch / Arch & Company Fine Arts / Antonio.arch@gmail.com www.archart.ca
 
STEPHEN TASHJIAN, “TABOO”-Artist and Performer
 
Stephen Tashjian , lead artist will exhibit a group of pop inspired pieces at
Cielo e Mar.
 
Stephen Tashjian is an American artist. His drag queen character Tabboo! became known in the East Village underground scene of New York City in the 1980s. He is also a puppeteer, painter and singer.
 
Tashjian attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston where he became friends with fellow students Nan Goldin and Jack Pierson. He moved to New York's East Village in 1982 to pursue a career as an artist, and became a regular performer at the Pyramid Club, appearing next to other drag legends like Rupaul and Lady Bunny. Tashjian also performed several times at the annual Wigstock drag event, and appeared in Wigstock, The Movie, released in 1994.
 
Tashjian has painted murals on city buildings and exhibited his paintings in many galleries internationally. Under the name Tabboo! he designed flyers, record album covers and advertising for underground venues. One of his better-known artworks is his graphic design for the successful Deee-Lite "World Clique" album cover. The curly lettering on the album cover became an iconic image for the band and the rave culture of the early 1990s.
 
The photographer Nan Goldin included photographs[1] of Tabboo! in her books and he is featured on the cover of her book The Other Side in drag.
 
Tashjian continues to perform in New York and shows his paintings in art shows, most notably a 2006 group show curated by Jack Pierson at Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York, featuring dozens of camp art piecs from his private collection. The show featured works by Matthew Barney, Nan Goldin, David Armstrong, Jack Pierson, and Mark Morrisroe.
 
Tashjian's work has also been documented in the New Museum’s “East Village Show” and New York University (NYU)/Grey Art Gallery’s “Downtown Show.”
                                                                                                         -Wikipedia
 
FERNANDO CARPENEDA, lead artist will exhibit his controversial "gay dolls" and is represented by Leslie Lohmann Gallery in NYC.
 
Fernando Carpaneda is an artist born in Brasília, Brazil. He works with clay sculptures. His main theme has always been the human being. He watches people in the streets, bars, concerts, and places where people sell their bodies. Fernando makes portraits of rent boys, punks, junkies, thieves and outcasts. Instead of attaching himself to muses, he focuses on male nudes to compose his art pieces, having the human being, the masculine, as the main goal in his work. All his portraits are like a relic, a holy place, a moment caught in time. He uses objects that have a connection to the portrayed person to composing his work, such as cigarette butts, condoms, beer cans, underwear, empty toothpaste boxes. In other words, things that are part of these people's real world, and his own. He uses such objects and remains as a beginning for his portraits. Clay is used as technique. He uses it the same way it was used in the 17th Century (for painting baroque saint images). He even dresses his sculptures with cloth from his own clothes. He creates and sews all the clothing that is used in the pieces. He also includes human hair in some of the pieces, his own hair (this was very often done in the 17th Century), and a current relic that has its value in time, as to maintain a time, ordinary people who lived it. Fernando writes about his pieces using street language as a background, another urban element often used. His connection to the artwork is important to any creative process. He believes that the artist himself is a piece of art. He has been going to places where the portrayed people use to go for the past 25 years.

In 2006 Fernando Carpaneda had one of his sculptures published in the book Treasures of Gay Art, by  The Leslie Lohman Gay Art Foundation. The book shares the jubilation and the triumphant arrival of The Leslie Lohman Gay Art Foundation. The new book, as the unparalleled collection of conspicuously gay art debuts in print for the first time. Designed and printed in Italy, the publication was guided by renowned curator Peter Weiermair exclusively for The Foundation. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, water colours, photographs and prints from Jean Cocteau to Andy Warhol are included.

 CRIMSON BOUDOIR-WRITER and PERFORMER
 
Crimson Boudoir is the director of The Boudoir Beauties, a campy burlesque show that has received rave reviews from The Palm Beach Post, most recently. She lives in NYC and West Palm Beach, Florida. Crimson will read from her recent autobiographical sketches at Beau Men.

www