Evento

20 Rue Jacob: Années Folles

Premiered in Richmond, VA in 2015, 20 Rue Jacob is an on-going series of mobile queer art salons created by Charli Brissey and Courtney Harris. The project develops in and through the communities that it engages, building upon location-specific partnerships and spaces, while also inviting discourse into a dynamic understanding of queerness. This iteration, 20 Rue Jacob: Années Folles, is rooted in the history and politics of the nation's capital, specifically curated to invite the voices of DC-based and east coast artists. The project asks: In what ways can collective interrogation that is situated inside of queer spaces make visible the myth of American democracy?

This contemporary event is as much a party and it is a performance, and audience members are invited to dress in 1920s attire and to enter the space as if they are joining a culturally vibrant and intellectually stimulating party spanning multiple eras. There will be live music, snacks, and CASH BAR, and plenty of room for dancing!

Années folles, meaning crazy years, signifies a decade of social, cultural, and artistic growth, collaborations, and protest during 1920s France. A period of time that is situated between two world wars, popular culture and art were heavily influenced by the political debates in Europe, as well as in America. 20 Rue Jacob: Années Folles will reframe this historical circumstance, reimagining the artistic counterculture and self-actualized utopia of 1920s Parisian salons through the lens of today's social and political climate in America.

Thus, 20 Rue Jacob: Années Folles is a series of divertissement performances that culminate as protest, responding to mandated and sanctioned acts of oppression, while also celebrating the resilience of queer joy as a radical act of resistance.

Presenting Artists:

Matthew Cumbie of Dance Exchange (DC)
Humble Fire (DC)
Shanice Mason (DC)
Nikolai McKenzie (Philadelphia)
Jess Pretty (New York City)
Hermione Rhones (DC)
Kyoko Ruch (DC)

This project is made possible in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Arch & Bruce Brown Foundation, Yellowhouse NYC, Westbrooke Homes, Bygones Vintage Clothing, Deborah Edgar Real Estate Group, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, and the generous donations of 32 Hatchfund patrons!