Category Archives: Art
Key West to Display Flag at WorldPride NYC
The Florida Keys & Key West tourism council and the Key West Business Guild plan to showcase the inclusive spirit of the subtropical LGBTQ visitor destination in New York City’s WorldPride March and PrideFest street festival slated for Sunday, June 30.
New York City’s 2019 Pride is to take place in conjunction with the first WorldPride celebration held in the United States, and millions ofrevelers are expected to attend. The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising also is to be commemorated in the event known asWorldPride NYC/Stonewall 50, with activities scheduled throughout June.
The Pride March is to feature a Keys contingent carrying a 100-foot section of the 1.25-mile “sea-to-sea” pride flag fabricated by the late rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker. Baker and his assistants spent three months in Key West in 2003 sewing about 17,600 linear yards of fabric into the rainbow banner that was unfurled along Key West’s Duval Street from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean on June 15, 2003. The event marked the 25th anniversary of his creation.
WorldPride march participants carrying the flag are to include current and former Keys residents, their friends and families from across the U.S.
“We look forward to showing that Key West is one of the leading destinations to visit by displaying one of the most iconic pieces of history to be created for the LGBTQ community,” said Alan Beaubien, president of the guild’s board of directors.
Welcoming some 300,000 LGBTQ visitors each year, Key West lies at the tip of the Florida Keys island chain and is renowned for its inclusive recognition that all people are created equal. The philosophy was epitomized by the famed One Human Family initiativecreated by local artist J.T. Thompson. After Key West city commissioners adopted the One Human Family motto for the city in 2000,Florida Keys officials embraced it for the entire 125-mile-long string of islands.
The PrideFest street festival is slated for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday along Fourth Avenue from Union Square to Astor Place. The Florida Keys & Key West booth is to feature Keys giveaways and information on vacationing in the environmentally and culturally rich destination.
“It is important to be present at this historic moment to remind everyone that our islands serve as a place free from judgment for LGBTQvisitors and residents alike,” said Guy Ross, the tourism council’s LGBTQ sales manager. “By participating in WorldPride 2019, we can showcase why we remain such a special, much-loved and much-celebrated destination.”
(The original flag, below)
Florida Keys & Key West visitor information: fla-keys.com/gay and fla-keys.com
Key West Business Guild: gaykeywestfl.com
Social: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Youtube • Keys Voices blog
Royal Caribbean is Officially Gay Travel Approved
GayTravel.com proudly announces that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL) is Gay Travel Approved
Royal Caribbean International® is the first and only cruise line to receive the sought-after distinction of being Gay Travel ApprovedSM by GayTravel.com, a trusted resource for LGBTQ travelers. The global cruise line, a leading innovator of adventurous vacation experiences has shown an ongoing commitment to the LGBTQ community by demonstrating a spirit of diversity and inclusion on all of its 25 ships that visit exciting destinations around the world.
The Gay Travel Approved Seal of Approval is awarded by GayTravel.com to select travel partners that offer a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ travelers. This accolade is reserved for travel partners whom a panel of experts, editors and tastemakers have deemed deserving of a higher level of recognition by the LGBTQ community.
“This designation has been a long time in the making,” said Steve Rohrlick, CEO of GayTravel.com. “Our GayTravel Cruise Guru Stephen Prisco has sailed on more than one-hundred Royal Caribbean cruises. The recent appointment of Grant Van Ulbrich as the first openly-gay Diversity Executive on a major cruise line and the steps he is implementing are indicative of Royal Caribbean International’s commitment to the LGBTQ community. It is therefore our distinct pleasure to bestow GayTravel Approved 2016 to Royal Caribbean International.”
“Royal Caribbean has always been known and recognized for extraordinary service that is warm and attentive and remains committed to creating a diverse, welcoming environment on each and every one of our ships,” said Grant Van Ulbrich, Director, Diversity & Inclusion, Royal Caribbean. To take our efforts to the next level, we recently introduced a new Diversity and Inclusion department and one of its first priorities is to focus on continued training and education for our international crew members.”
With its parent company’s perfect rating on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and a rich history of hosting LGBTQ charters, groups and luminaries, it’s not surprising that LGBTQ travelers are frequent guests. One such guest and avid sailor is GayTravel.com’s Cruise Guru Stephen Prisco.
“From the moment I set foot on my first Royal Caribbean cruise, I felt like I belonged,” said Prisco. “On every one of my cruising adventures, I feel like I am home and that Royal Caribbean is my family. The strides that they have taken to welcome our community onboard and the incredible innovations they have made to their fleet are just a few of the reasons I continue to return time and time again…”
GayTravel.com encourages the LGBTQA community to offer recommendations for Gay Travel Approved travel destinations, accommodations, cruises, tours, events, restaurants, and venues:http://www.gaytravel.
About Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean International is an award-winning global cruise brand with a 46-year legacy of innovation and introducing industry “firsts” never before seen at sea. Media can stay up-to-date by following @RoyalCaribPR on Twitter, and visiting RoyalCaribbeanPressCe
About GayTravel.com
GayTravel.com connects the LGBTQA community with gay friendly destinations, hotels, cruises, tours, events, entertainment, attractions, clubs and restaurants throughout the world. Their mission is to provide the community with safe, welcoming and unique recommendations to ensure that every vacation is both pleasurable and memorable. For additional information, visit www.GayTravel.com or call (800) GAY-TRAVEL.
Fallen Icarus in Sicily
While Sicily is not a gay mecca – slowly, more gay clubs and businesses have opened in the last few years. There is a great article HERE.
I just love this statue and archaeological site!
Dismaland Art Project in UK
Inside the walls of a derelict seaside swimming resort in Weston-super-Mare, UK, mysterious construction over the last month—including a dingy looking Disney-like castle and a gargantuan rainbow-colored pinwheel tangled in plastic—suggested something big was afoot. Suspicion and anticipation surrounding the unusual activity attributed to fabled artist and provocateur Banksy has reached a Willy Wonka-esque fervor. Well, if Banksy’s your bag, continue fervoring. If not, there’s more than a few reasons to continue reading.
The spectacle has since been revealed to be a pop-up art exhibition in the form of an apocalyptic theme park titled Dismaland (“The UK’s most disappointing new visitor attraction”) that will be open to the public for five weeks.
Here’s some text from the event’s official brochure:
Are you looking for an alternative to the soulless sugar-coated banality of the average family day out? Or just somewhere cheaper. Then this is the place for you—a chaotic new world where you can escape from mindless escapism. Instead of a burger stall, we have a museum. In place of a gift shop we have a library, well, we have a gift shop as well.
Bring the whole family to come and enjoy the latest addition to our chronic leisure surplus—a bemusement park. A theme park who’s big theme is: theme parks should have bigger themes…
This event contains adult themes, distressing imagery, extended use of strobe lighting, smoke effects and swearing. The following items are strictly prohibited: knives, spraycans, illegal drugs, and lawyers from the Walt Disney corporation.
A demented assortment of bizarre and beautiful artworks from no less than 58 global artists including Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, Jimmy Cauty, Bill Barminski, Caitlin Cherry, Polly Morgan, Josh Keyes, Mike Ross, David Shrigley, Bäst, and Espo. Banksy is also showing 10 artworks of his own.
Dismaland features a cavalcade of artists featured here on Colossal over the last few years including pieces by Escif, Maskull Lasserre, Kate McDowell, Paco Pomet, Dietrich Wegner, Michael Beitz, Brock Davis, Ronit Baranga, and others.
A program of 24 short films will be shown on a massive outdoor cinema that will play on a loop day and night. Films include shorts by Santiago Grasso & Patricio Plaza, Kirsten Lepore, The Mercadantes, Ze Frank, Adrien M. & Claire B., Black Sheep Films, and Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.
Singapore’s Changi International Airport RAIN Art
WOW!
I have never been to this airport – yet – a friend of mine just saw this!
World’s largest kinetic art sculpture unveiled at Changi Airport
SINGAPORE, 2012 — Passengers and airport visitors entering the Departure Check-in Hall at Singapore Changi Airport’s Terminal 1 (T1) can expect to stop in their tracks and be captivated by a new art installation. Kinetic Rain, as it is titled, takes pride of place at the terminal, enthralling visitors with its fluidity, distinctive shapes, elegant and refined movements and precision-perfect technology.
Kinetic Rain, installed as part of T1’s recent refurbishment, is the icon of the revamped Departure Check-in Hall. This specially commissioned sculpture, a first in an airport globally, comes as a pair, each installed several metres apart from each other and visible from many areas of the Departure Check-in Hall.
Kinetic Rain is made up of 1,216 bronze droplets that transform elegantly into multiple shapes, akin to poetry in motion. Carrying an aviation theme, the key element in every shape shows the movement of flight through slow, fluid movements. Some of the more recognisable shapes include an aeroplane, hot air balloon and a kite. One can also make out a dragon and a flock of birds amongst the 16 different programmed segments.
Each droplet is connected to motors installed in the ceiling of the Departure Check-in Hall. The motors contain a high precision rotary encoder which keeps track of the exact position of each droplet. A computer programme is used to control the movement of the droplets to form Kinetic Rain’s unique shapes and patterns. A video on the making-of Kinetic Rain can be viewed here.
Kinetic Rain was created over a span of 20 months. Artists, programmers and technologists were engaged to analyse the space available at T1 and conceptualise a masterpiece that would be representative of the new terminal. The refurbished T1 is aptly themed ‘Tropical City’ in keeping with Singapore’s garden city status and where rain, is very much a part of the tropical climate.
Mr Yeo Kia Thye, Senior Vice President for Airport Operations, Changi Airport Group, said, “When we decided to upgrade Terminal 1 in 2008, we were mindful that people have fond memories of the terminal including the old Mylar Cords, the circular curtain of water that straddled three stories of the building. We wanted an art sculpture, which we found in Kinetic Rain, that was able to add the signature touch linking back to T1’s illustrious past in a new and exciting way.
“With more than a thousand raindrops working together in harmony, Kinetic Rain also symbolises the thousands in the airport community who work together every day to provide our passengers and visitors with a positively surprising and memorable Changi Experience.”
An audio commentary and official video are also available for visitors who wish to know more about Kinetic Rain. All they have to do is scan the QR code present at the display boards at the T1 Departure Check-in Hall with their smartphones. For more information about the refurbished T1, please visit: www.changiairport.com/terminal1
About Changi Airport Group
Changi Airport Group (Singapore) Pte Ltd (CAG) (www.changiairportgroup.com) was formed on 16 June 2009 and the corporatisation of Singapore Changi Airport followed on 1 July 2009. As the company managing Changi Airport, CAG undertakes key functions focusing on airport operations and management, air hub development, commercial activities and airport emergency services. Through its subsidiary Changi Airports International, the Group invests in and manages foreign airports to spread the success of Changi Airport internationally.
Changi Airport (www.changiairport.com) is the world’s most awarded airport having garnered more than 400 accolades since it opened in 1981. To serve passengers and visitors from the world over, there are 360 retail stores and 130 F&B outlets across the airport’s four terminals. Changi handled more than 46 million passenger movements in 2011, an annual record. Today, it serves some 100 airlines flying to over 220 cities in about 60 countries and territories worldwide. A flight takes off or lands at Changi roughly once every 100 seconds.
WATCH
How Gay is Waterford Crystal and Waterford Ireland?
Perhaps the most famous crystal company in the world, Waterford Crystal was founded in 1783. New prestige crystal factory for the company plans to captivates visitors from around the world demonstrating more than 225 years of crystal making.
A new beginning for Waterford Crystal was marked today with the official opening of the House of Waterford Crystal on the Mall in the heart of Waterford City. Comprised of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, visitor centre and retail experience store, the opening ensures that the history of more than 600 years of heritage, tradition and craftsmanship remains firmly rooted in Waterford. This milestone event is the result of an agreement between WWRD Holdings Limited (“WWRD”), the leading luxury goods group which owns and operates the Waterford Crystal, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton brands, and Waterford City Council.
Visitors to the new facility will marvel at a replica of the Waterford Times Square Ball and will be impressed by the varied exhibitions, including a collection of exclusive Waterford Sport trophies, Statement Design pieces and the Faces and Places Exhibit, a favorite, showcasing specially- commissioned Waterford Crystals pieces that have been presented to famous celebrities, presidents and dignitaries.
Additionally, the world’s largest display of Waterford Crystal will be featured in the retail experience store, including pieces from world famous designers such as John Rocha, Michael Aram and Jasper Conran.
The House of Waterford is located two miles from the city centre on the N25 Cork Road in Waterford, Ireland. Factory tours are open to the public all year round, Monday to Sunday. Guided Tours are also available seven days a week.
Today Ireland has a lively “gay scene”, especially in Dublin and Belfast. Some favorite hang-outs like the “George” in Dublin are clearly identifiable by their use of the “rainbow flag”, others are far more discreet. The best bet for visitors who want to meet other gay people is to obtain a copy of the GCN , a monthly magazine with comprehensive listings.
Gay Pop Art – Pop Life Exhibit Brings Warhol and Haring to Ottawa Canada this Summer!
National Gallery of Canada
in Ottawa welcomes Pop Life!
From June 11 to September 19, 2010, the
National Gallery of Canada will be home
to the controversial exhibit Pop Life: Art in
a Material World featuring works by Andy
Warhol, Jeff Koons, Keith Haring and many
more.
It has been shown at the Tate Modern
in London, and Ottawa will be the ONLY North
American stop on the tour.
Pop Life: Art in a Material World explores the complex relationship between contemporary art, marketing, and the mass media that has evolved since the 1980s when Andy Warhol’s uttered his provocative maxim that “being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.”
The National Gallery of Canada (NGC) is the sole North American venue for this unprecedented exhibition, which features more than 250 paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, videos, installations, multiples and other ephemera produced over the past three decades.
The exhibition begins with Warhol’s notorious provocation that “good business is the best art.” Marketing and publicity provided a means for Warhol to engage in modern life beyond the confines of the studio, the gallery and the museum.
Rather than simply representing or commenting on mass-media culture, Warhol deliberately infiltrated the publicity machine to cultivate an artistic persona. By performing as a partygoer, model, television personality, paparazzo and publisher, he harnessed the power of the celebrity system and expanded his reach beyond the art world and into the wider world of commerce.
Pop Life then looks ahead to the work of a number of artists who, like Warhol, have openly engaged with the cult of celebrity and unashamedly championed the idea of turning public attention into aesthetic notoriety and financial reward.
Ottawa is an open, friendly and welcoming destination for gay and lesbian travelers. And August 20-29, is their Capital Pride/Gay Pride celebration week which attracts about 50,000 people!
Plan to visit then and enjoy Gay Pride and the Pop Art showing!
POP LIFE is Organized by Tate Modern, London,
in association with the National Gallery of Canada.
Please note that some rooms contain explicit
and graphic material not suitable for children.
More about POP LIFE
(Grace Jones by DOUGLAS KIRKLAND PHOTOGRAPHY)
Gay Travel Guys @ New Gay Travel Guide
