QUEER|ART cultivates a dynamic community of LGBTQ+ artists across generations and artistic disciplines.
We provide intergenerational mentorship, public programming, and material support to shape
culture and drive societal change.
Queer|Art|Mentorship
QUEER|ART|MENTORSHIP (QAM) was founded to develop an intergenerational and interdisciplinary network of support and shared knowledge for LGBTQ+ artists.
The program nurtures exchange between artists at all levels of their careers, working against a social separation between generations and disciplines.
The program is 10 months in length, beginning in January and ending in October. Applicants who work in Film, Performance, Literature, and Visual Art apply with a specific project they would like to work on during the program, and are asked to select a Mentor they would like to work with.
Awards
QUEER|ART|AWARDS is an initiative of grants, prizes, and residencies that includes a spectrum of support—monetary and otherwise—for LGBTQ+ artists.
ILLUMINATIONS GRANT FOR BLACK TRANS WOMEN ARTISTS
Developed in partnership with Mariette Pathy Allen, Aaryn Lang, and Serena Jara, this annual $10,000 grant sheds light on the under-recognized contributions of Black trans women visual artists. Winning artists receive professional development resources to bolster their creative evolution.
THE QUEER|ART DESIGN GRANT
The Queer|Art Design Grant supports new creative projects exploring queer histories, legacies, and futures, while helping provide visibility and opportunity for emerging LGBTQ+ design talent. The program will award two $10,000 grants to emerging queer creatives across the design industry, making it the largest cash grant for LGBTQ+ designers in the country.
BARBARA HAMMER LESBIAN FILMMAKING GRANT
This $6,000 grant is awarded to lesbians for making visionary moving-image art. The grant, named in honor of legendary filmmaker and QAM Mentor Barbara Hammer, is supported directly by funds provided by Hammer and administered through Queer|Art every other year by lesbians for lesbians, with a rotating panel of judges.
QUEER|ART|PRIZE
Queer|Art|Prize presents two $10,000 awards to LGBTQ+ artists based in the United States: one for Sustained Achievement and the other for Recent Work.
In the News
“PACBI Now”
Queer|Art joins dozens of cultural organizations in issuing public statements endorsing the PACBI boycott (The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.)
“Queer Designers Could Score $10K Thanks to Queer|Art and UGG”
For emerging LGBTQ+ designers, getting the work made is often only half the battle. Finding the money, mentorship and industry support to keep going can be even harder.
“Queer|Art & Drag Race Star Megami Launch Fundraising T-Shirt to Support LGBTQ+ Artists”
Queer|Art has partnered with RuPaul’s Drag Race star Megami to launch a limited-edition artist-designed T-shirt, with all proceeds supporting the organisation’s work championing LGBTQ+ artists across generations and disciplines.
Highlights from the QA Blog
The Queer|Art Strategic Plan, 2025-2030
Queer|Art is proud to unveil a new strategic plan that charts our path for the years ahead. Over a year in the making, this roadmap details key organizational objectives, guided by our artist community's expressed needs. Our 2025-2030 strategic plan centers three goals to ensure a sustainable future for Queer|Art:
Build Organizational Power
Grow the Artist Ecosystem
Transform Culture
In order to meet these goals, we're growing our budget from $600K to at least $1.2M over the next 3-5 years—ensuring equitable pay for artists and arts workers while building the infrastructure our community needs.
The dismantling of federal infrastructure, escalating censorship, and mounting threats against LGBTQ+ communities make it clear we must strengthen our networks of interdependence and secure shared space for queer legacies and futures. We invite our artists, partners, and supporters to build an organization with us that can sustain LGBTQ+ artists for generations to come.
