Queer|Art Announces
Río Sofia as Programs & Operations Director
KT Pe Benito as Queer|Art|Prize Manager
Above: Río Sofia (left) and KT Pe Benito (right) on the Christopher Street Pier.
Photo by Lola Flash for the 2019 Community Portrait Project
A message from Executive Director Travis Chamberlain:
Amidst so much present uncertainty, it is a great pleasure and privilege to be able to share with you the following announcement regarding recent growth and transition within Queer|Art’s staff.
Firstly, Río Sofia ("our queen," as Nile Harris, our new Development Assistant, has lovingly christened her) has been promoted to Programs & Operations Director. Río joined QA in June 2018 and hit the ground running! Replacing QA’s original long-time P&O Coordinator Vanessa Haroutunian, Río was only QA’s second full-time employee. In the nearly two years that have passed since, she and I have developed a deeply collaborative and trusting relationship in how we work together to ensure our programs and operations move forward to best support our community. I lean on Río for her input on almost all things QA, including: ideas for new programs; new directions for older programs; better ways to support our staff; which artists we should be inviting to become part of the QA family; and, of course, budgeting for the year ahead. Significantly, Río was the mastermind for last year’s hugely successful Queer|Art|Pride Book & Print Fair, and her nurturing and tireless support has transformed the QAM Annual exhibition into a truly epic two-month community-affirming explosion of queer art and ideas. In recent months, she has worked closely with me to expand our staff and refine responsibilities across all departments, and in her expanded role as Programs & Operations Director will take on greater leadership and management in those critical areas of our rapidly growing organization.
KT Pe Benito, who joined our team shortly after Río, is also celebrating a transition in their work at QA from Programs & Operations Assistant (a position they’ve filled with great care and sensitivity over the last two years) to become our first dedicated Queer|Art|Prize Manager. KT has worked closely with me to oversee administration of Queer|Art|Prize, a program that annually awards two $10k prizes in areas of Sustained Achievement and Recent Work to LGBTQ+ artists selected through a national nominating process. The Prize uniquely heralds the broader cultural impact made by queer artists in recent history, while the accompanying ceremony — which takes place as part of the opening night celebration for the Queer|Art|Mentorship Annual exhibition —provides a deeper connection between the work of our graduating Fellows and the world-changing creative contributions of our community’s most visionary thinkers and makers. We are pleased to see the growth of the Prize to require its own dedicated manager, and are thrilled to support KT as they take on more responsibility around the future direction of this program and transition out of their role as Programs & Operations Assistant.
Which means… WE HAVE A JOB OPENING. It’s humbling to consider hiring a new assistant in this moment, but we are thrilled to be able to do so and are giddy with anticipation to welcome a new team member very soon. Applications are being accepted immediately and we hope to have someone in place as early as June 1. Please read our additional blogpost, We’re Hiring!, for more details. We encourage applications from all who are interested!
Until we see each other in person, may we visit with you on your devices!
Be well, stay safe, hold strong,
Travis Chamberlain
Executive Director
Above: Río Sofia with 2012-2013 QAM Fellow Camilo Godoy at a private walkthrough organized by Queer|Art of Godoy's solo exhibition, En Vivo Y En Directo, at Cue Art Foundation
When Río Sofia came on as Queer|Art's second full-time hire in June 2018, she inherited a full plate of Pride programming and a Queer|Art|Mentorship cycle already in full-swing. Using her background within grassroots organizing to orient herself, Río set her sights on strengthening bonds amongst Queer|Art's artist members, elevating the organization's public platform and visibility, and building staff capacity internally. Over the last two years, she has bolstered the engagement of Queer|Art|Mentorship's alumni base, inviting artists to reconnect with the organization and each other through existing programs such the Queer|Art Community Portrait Project and Queer|Art|Film and by creating new programs such as the Queer|Art|Pride Book & Print Fair. Her marketing efforts have contributed to applications for Queer|Art|Mentorship almost doubling, and Queer|Art's follower base on social media almost quadrupling in volume. As Queer|Art's staff size has increased, she and Travis now manage a team of 12 staff, associates, and interns, carefully monitoring the organization's capacity to assure its continued and sustainable growth towards an expansive future.
“One of my favorite things about Queer|Art is that everyone on our staff is a working artist. Because of this, there's this beautiful reciprocity to the work we do; in being of service to a community of queer artists, we benefit as well. Through Queer|Art, I've connected with a wider network of queer artists than I could have imagined; I've developed a broader understanding of the queer cultural legacies that have shaped the world I live in; and I've learned to recognize collaboration and intergenerational relationship building as core values of movement work and artistic process. As Queer|Art has grown, I've grown too and I look forward to the many new places we're bound to go in the coming years."
–Río Sofia, Programs & Operations Director
Above: KT Pe Benito emcees an open mic reading at the 2019 Queer|Art|Pride Book & Print Fair at Abrons Arts Center
For the past two years, KT Pe Benito has brought compassion, care, and moral clarity to their role as Queer|Art's Programs & Operations Assistant. Their involvement has indelibly shaped various projects they've worked on: from our Lower East Side History Month programming to the relaunch of the "What is Queer|Art|Mentorship?" video. As Queer|Art|Prize's principal steward, KT has succeeded in cultivating new relationships with dozens of artists across the country through the award program's rigorous nominating and adjudication process. In the last two years, KT's work in this area has supported the presentation of our community's highest honor for sustained achievement to legendary queer artists Vaginal Davis and Joan Jett Blakk.
"I'm humbled to pursue the position of Queer|Art|Prize Manager and to sustain the celebration for queer art. Even though it's a strange time to transition into a new role within the organization, I'm making space for my art and community healing practice to be a source of abundance and futurity."
–KT Pe Benito, Queer|Art|Prize Manager
JOB OPENING
Programs & Operations Assistant
Full details and how to apply can be found on our blogpost “We’re Hiring!“