Art critic reviews on art of Becki Jayne

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art critics

From a 1995 group exhibition, VulvaVision, where the artist debuted, "Judas Kiss"
Leslie-Lohman Gay Arts Foundation
—Wayne Snellen, Gallery Director
October 1995, New York, NY

The issue of censorship has been on my mind lately. It seems that the mood of the country is quickly moving to a more conservative position that is frightening. How can we lesbian and gay men enjoy the freedom that we have come to enjoy. (Even though we can still enjoy very little when compared with the general population.) It makes me very angry that I once again have to stand and defend my rights. What we gain on one hand is taken away on another. If we are not very careful even those we have won will slip away.

The issue of religion is closely related. All those passages in the Bible considered by the moral majority and the religious right and by many plain Americans are so insidious and pervasive that often we do not recognize what is happening until it is almost too late. One artist from Georgia, Becki Jayne Harrelson, has in effect been censored because her gallery, even though run by a gay man, would not show her current work. She has had to change the locks on her studio. In New York City, of all places, there are only a bare handful of places where one can show politically, sexually and religiously innovative and controversial work.

Becki Jayne Harrelson's almost monumental canvases speak directly to that deeply felt realization that what we have been taught by most of our religious leaders is, to put it bluntly, crap. What great works these are. They are not afraid to tackle the hard questions.

One thing I never quite understood is that so many people I know from home [Missouri] think art is so unimportant. Why would one do that [make art] anyway. One of the first things an insecure government will censor is art. Then if art is so unimportant, why all the furor over a few fringe artists or groups who question the status quo? Especially gay and lesbian art. I propose that if we do nothing else in life but make people question everything, then we have accomplished our reason for being.

Barbara Freid feels that in a time when lesbians and gays are seeking a positive image, it is belittling to focus on the sexual and that we are more than that. She is right to a degree. Others feel that since we are sexual people, it is appropriate and right to see work in this vein. They are right to a degree. Since we, as a group, can "pass" so to speak, perhaps the major difference is who we go to bed with. I know that will offend some, but there is enough truth in it to consider what it really means. If we are different then perhaps we should be talking about that difference. The Leslie-Lohman Gay Arts Foundation is where art of a frankly sexual kind can be shown in a safe place. We do not apologize for that. It is one of our strong points. Art of any other kind can be shown elsewhere. But if one stops to notice what is on the walls one will see the vision is quite broad. We celebrate the whole range of lesbian and gay art.

—Wayne Snellen, Gallery Director
Leslie-Lohman Gay Arts Foundation

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			Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation (LLGAF) is a nonprofit arts foundation, committed to providing a forum to further the awareness and appreciation of lesbian and gay art
Judas Kiss debuted at Leslie-Lohman in New York 1995. Madonna, Lover & Son debuted at Leslie-Lohman in New York 1998 The Crucifixion of Christ debuted at Blue Milk Group in Atlanta 2001 sold		Join a growing online community that supports art with a purpose. Add your own thoughts on the artist's work with an online review. What artworks speak to you? How do they make you feel? Did they make you stop to think about a particular topic? Go to Feedback to email your review. art critics From a 1995 group exhibition, VulvaVision, where the artist debuted, "Judas Kiss" Leslie-Lohman Gay Arts Foundation —Wayne Snellen, Gallery Director October 1995, New York, NY The issue of censorship has been on my mind lately. It seems that the mood of the country is quickly moving to a more conservative position that is frightening. How can we lesbian and gay men enjoy the freedom that we have come to enjoy. (Even though we can still enjoy very little when compared with the general population.) It makes me very angry that I once again have to stand and defend my rights. What we gain on one hand is taken away on another. If we are not very careful even those we have won will slip away. The issue of religion is closely related. All those passages in the Bible considered by the moral majority and the religious right and by many plain Americans are so insidious and pervasive that often we do not recognize what is happening until it is almost too late. One artist from Georgia, Becki Jayne Harrelson, has in effect been censored because her gallery, even though run by a gay man, would not show her current work. She has had to change the locks on her studio. In New York City, of all places, there are only a bare handful of places where one can show politically, sexually and religiously innovative and controversial work. Becki Jayne Harrelson's almost monumental canvases speak directly to that deeply felt realization that what we have been taught by most of our religious leaders is, to put it bluntly, crap. What great works these are. They are not afraid to tackle the hard questions. One thing I never quite understood is that so many people I know from home [Missouri] think art is so unimportant. Why would one do that [make art] anyway. One of the first things an insecure government will censor is art. Then if art is so unimportant, why all the furor over a few fringe artists or groups who question the status quo? Especially gay and lesbian art. I propose that if we do nothing else in life but make people question everything, then we have accomplished our reason for being. Barbara Freid feels that in a time when lesbians and gays are seeking a positive image, it is belittling to focus on the sexual and that we are more than that. She is right to a degree. Others feel that since we are sexual people, it is appropriate and right to see work in this vein. They are right to a degree. Since we, as a group, can "pass" so to speak, perhaps the major difference is who we go to bed with. I know that will offend some, but there is enough truth in it to consider what it really means. If we are different then perhaps we should be talking about that difference. The Leslie-Lohman Gay Arts Foundation is where art of a frankly sexual kind can be shown in a safe place. We do not apologize for that. It is one of our strong points. Art of any other kind can be shown elsewhere. But if one stops to notice what is on the walls one will see the vision is quite broad. We celebrate the whole range of lesbian and gay art. —Wayne Snellen, Gallery Director Leslie-Lohman Gay Arts Foundation TOP