The It Gets Better Project, launched by Seattle sex advice columnist and author Dan Savage to give hope to gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transsexual youth experiencing emotional pain or bullying due to their sexual orientation will be the center of a new exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum beginning this week.
The It Gets Better installation in the museum’s George and Mary Davis Gallery features work by David Wojnarowcz alone with online access to the It Gets Better Project. On view through April, the installation will include a computer station where people can learn more about the It Gets Better Project and about the life and art of Wojnarowicz.
Wojnarowicz was a critically acclaimed artist working in New York City. He emerged from the influential East Village scene in the late 1970s and propelled by his personal experiences with HIV/AIDS, homophobia and the suffering and deaths of his friends and colleagues, developed a wide-ranging artistic pallet, including photography, collage, painting, film, performance, sculpture, and writing.
The It Gets Better Project was started in September 2010. Savage and his domestic partner Terry Miller created a YouTube video in response to a number of students committing suicide after being bullied in school. The two wanted to create a direct and personal way for supporters everywhere to tell LGBT youth that, yes, it does indeed get better. Over the course of just a few weeks, the It Gets Better Project turned into a worldwide movement, inspiring nearly 10,000 user-created videos and more than 30 million views. The project has received submissions from celebrities, organizations, and politicians including President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Ellen DeGeneres, Suze Orman, the staffs of Google, Facebook, Pixar, and many more.
Seattle columnist and author Dan Savage writes for The Stranger and has published several books, include
The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant.
The David Wojnarowicz’s Untitled [One Day This Kid…] exhibit coupled with the It Gets Better Project was created to engage diverse audiences on complex social topics. This combination of artwork and social media may help viewers young and old to understand how art can play a critical role in the dialogues about how we see ourselves in America today.
“We are presenting this pairing because it demonstrates how contemporary art and social media may be intertwined and adapted to address critical issues in contemporary society,” said museum curator Rock Hushka in a recent release. “The It Gets Better Project updates themes that David Wojnarowicz articulated a generation ago. Dan Savage’s use of social media relates to the efforts of artists like Wojnarowicz who use art to articulate their concerns and observations to construct a better, safer society.”
The installation will serve as one focal point for continuing respectful dialogues on the social issues presented, especially for local youth. During February’s Third Thursday (February 17), the museum will begin conversations with local teens about the It Gets Better exhibition and how the issues related to bullying and identity impact teens and their schools.
