Wish that you’d learned about Scotland’s queer times at school? Believe that more LGBTPQI+A* community histories should be present in museum collections? Has your experience been under-recognised in LGBTPQI+A history-making? Can you recall what may otherwise be forgotten? Got something to say about housing, health, employment and education and LGBTPQI citizenship? Have you been involved in grassroots organising, campaigning and community support systems for LGBTPQI people that still awaits recognition? Do you formally or informally research lives LGBTPQI+A and want to share your knowledge?

*LGBTPQIA = Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Polysexual, Queer, Intersex + Allies

make history at queer timɘs school
Monday July 23 until Friday 27 2018, 10.30-16.00 daily, plus some evening sessions.
Saturday August 4 2018, 13.00-16.00.
Various museums, archives in Glasgow.

BOOK A PLACE

queer timɘs school is an art and citizenship project for all LGBTPQI adults, and their allies, over the age of 16. In a series of rolling, hour-long assemblies, participants will share diverse histories of the past 50 years particularly regarding education housing, employment, law and health. Assemblies will take place in supportive environments across Glasgow’s museums, libraries and archives; at the Glasgow School of Art, and the City Chambers.

Participants are welcome to book into one or more assemblies. A core group of 12 people able to attend all sessions would be ideal, including the session on Saturday 4 August.

Participants are being asked to share and/or listen to: examples of challenges experienced; the fights against exclusion and for rights and equality; organising campaigns and protests; grass-roots and community-led care and support systems; experiences of housing, the workplace, education and of law; scene histories and non-scene lifestyles; forms of friendship and ‘alternative’ families; meet-ups, hook-ups, coupling and splitting up; types of resistance including to being co-opted; and how LGBTPQI communities have co-organised.

On Saturday 4 August 2018 a panel of 12 LGBPTQI+A citizens will deliberate which of these histories should be told via a set of 10 printed works that will enter Glasgow Museums’ collection. These will be exhibited at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) from 1 December 2018 -10 March 2019 and a second set will be annually available to be loaned by secondary schools in Glasgow.

Three information sessions are scheduled for those interested in taking part in queer timɘs school:

Monday 25 June from 1pm-2.30pm in the Studio at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA)
Monday 25 June from 6pm-7.30pm at The Mitchell Library, North Street, Glasgow, G3 7DN, in the Glasgow Room which is located at the North Street side of the building Wheelchair access would be via Granville Street, with independent access using the lift to level 1 to access the North Street Side of the venue.
Tuesday 26 June from 6pm-7.30pm at The Mitchell Library, North Street, Glasgow, G3 7DN, in the Glasgow Room which is located at the North Street side of the building Wheelchair access would be via Granville Street, with independent access using the lift to level 1 to access the North Street Side of the venue.
To attend an introductory information session, register your overall interest, or ask questions, contact: Katie Bruce, Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), Royal Exchange Square, 0141 287 3051, katie.bruce@glasgowlife.org.uk

queer timɘs school has been commissioned by the Gallery of Modern Art from queer, socially-engaged artist, Jason E. Bowman. It is funded By Glasgow Museums, the Valand Academy and a Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland Sharing Heritage Grant. It is supported by organisations including: CRUSEV, Equality Network, Glasgow City Council Education Services, Glasgow Libraries, Glasgow Museums, Glasgow Women’s Library, Heritage Lottery Scotland, LGBT Age, LGBT Youth Scotland, Outspoken Arts!, The Glasgow School of Art, The Glasgow School of Art Student Association.

We will email you further information about queer timɘs school but here are some FAQs in the meantime.

What is ‘queer timɘs school ’ about?
‘queer timɘs school ’ is an art and citizenship project commissioned by the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow from queer, socially-engaged artist Jason E. Bowman. It is about heritage from the perspective of citizens. The aim is for LGBTPQI people – and their allies – to share in history-making through chronicling some of the complex histories, controversies, breakthroughs and experiences that have shaped queer Scottish life over the past 50 years.

‘queer timɘs school ’ is about stepping-stones as much as about recognised milestones. It aims to recognise the important heritage of LGBTPQI+A people as organisers, campaigners, shape-shifters, change-makers and community-builders. This could be about your involvement in or experiences of: organising discos; setting up switchboards, support groups and social groups; being the first generation of people living with HIV/AIDS, and being the first generation to care them; running or going to bars, clubs and club-nights, including venues that no longer exist; establishing charities, organisations and projects, short and long-term; being involved in protests and campaign; collecting and distributing information about law, repeal, rights and issues; formal and informal archiving; organising, protesting and campaigning etc.

You will also have access to staff from Glasgow Museums and local organisations including archivists, conservators and curators who will discuss collections as forms of history and heritage-making.

Who can go to ‘queer timɘs school ?
‘queer timɘs school ’ is for any LGBTPQI person, and their allies, over the age of 16. It is for those who feel that their daily experience or a specific experience – however small it may seem – is uncharted or unrecognised.

Alongside individual experiences we are keen to hear from people who engaged with: organisations, grass-roots, community-centred initiatives and friendship networks; engaged in protests and campaigns that sought to affect change; recorded and archived lives lived, their marginalisation but also their feats; those who have challenged structures that exclude equal access and rights to health, education, housing and employment.

How can I be involved?
‘queer timɘs school’ is for citizens who see themselves as part of the ‘general public’; but also for people who research LGBTPQI+A lives, and those who develop and provide services that affect LGBTPQI lives.

There are 2 main ways that you can be involved:

You could join a ‘core group’ of 12-15 people who are able to attend the majority of the assemblies and the deliberation sessions that follow these. As a member of this group you can also elect to talk on your personal experiences. This group also makes decisions about what aspects of heritage should be included in the final set of prints. Lunches and local travel expenses are covered for the core group. Support workers are also on hand.

You can elect to talk at one of the assemblies about your personal experiences, share research you have done, talk about your experiences as an education, health, housing service or as a support worker, or as someone involved in legal issues.

Three introductory Information Sessions are scheduled for: Afternoon session in the Studio at the Gallery of Modern Art from 13.00-14.30 pm on Monday 25 June. Evening sessions on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 of June from 18.00-19.30 at The Glasgow School of Art, Reid Building, Principal Seminar Room 1. You can attend to gain more info and ask questions that may support your decision to get involved.

What will happen at the ‘queer timɘs school ’ assemblies?
The assemblies will be respectful environments where your voice and what you want to share really matters. You don’t need any qualifications apart from the experiences you are willing to share orally, or any experience of public speaking as the assemblies will have an informality, be convivial and supportive. You are asked to talk about an event, situation, challenge, circumstance, informal and formal organisation etc. that you believe is important to LGBTPQI+A experience in the last 50 years; especially about housing, employment, law, education and health.

At each assembly two-three people will talk for up to 15 minutes each. If you elect to speak at one of the assemblies, you are welcome to choose to speak for a much shorter time-period. You can talk as an individual, as a pair, or as a group. This could be as friends, ‘family’ members, co-workers, representatives of a trade union or organisation, as co-researchers, members of a support group, as legislators or policy reformers etc. Presentations can be informal or formal and should be pitched to be accessible to people from different backgrounds, experiences and ages. The talks will be followed by up to 30 minutes of questions, responses and discussions allowing participants to respectfully find out more.

Each assembly will be recorded using video, audio and photography, though any requirement for anonymity will be upheld. These recordings will be used to inform a set of instructions for artists to make the prints and as source material from them to work from. Aspects of the documentation may also be exhibited at the Gallery of Modern Art, or used for non-commercial reasons such as the promotion and archiving of the project, again any request for anonymity will be upheld.

What will come out of ‘queer timɘs school ’?
The intention is that ten prints will be made that chronicle and depict overlooked, under-recognised, marginalised and obscured experiences and initiatives. As storytelling the format of prints offer numerous options of how time can be organised. A print can be dedicated to chronicling one or numerous related events, situations, experiences or circumstances.

The prints enter the permanent Glasgow Museums’ collection and be firstly exhibited from 1 December 2018 until March 2019. A programme of public events will accompany the exhibition. A second set of prints will be made available to secondary schools across the city on an annual basis.

When is ‘queer timɘs school ’?
‘queer timɘs school’ will roll out via a set of individual but connected assembles daily from 10.00-16.00 from Monday July 23-Thursday July 26. Assemblies are between an hour and an hour and a half’s duration. There are additional evening sessions from 18.00-19.30 on Tuesday July 24, Wednesday July 25 and Thursday July 26. People can attend as many of these as they wish.

On Friday July 27 from 13.00-16.00 an initial review of the content of each assembly will take place. This session will focus on setting up criteria to decide what content the prints should allow. Key to this session will also be discussing and recognising any limitations that need to be set as the prints will need to be age-appropriate for secondary schools.

On Saturday August 4 from 13.00-16.00 final decisions will be made on what is to be depicted in the prints.

A full schedule will be available by mid-June. Contact: Katie Bruce, Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), Royal Exchange Square, 0141 287 3051, katie.bruce@glasgowlife.org.uk

Where are the ‘queer timɘs school ’ assemblies?
The assemblies will take place in a number of accessible and supportive venues such as: Scotland Street School Museum, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Mitchell Library, The Glasgow School of Art, the Glasgow Women’s Library and at the City Chambers.

Who else is involved?
‘queer timɘs school ’ will involve citizens including people who have been conducting research on LGBTPQI+A experiences of the past 50 years. Their role is to share their existing research as opposed to studying other participants. Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art has also been liaising and consulting with a number of key agencies whilst developing this project including: CRUSEV, Equality Network, Glasgow City Council Education Services, Glasgow Libraries, Glasgow Museums, Glasgow Women’s Library, Heritage Lottery Scotland, LGBT Age, LGBT Youth Scotland, Outspoken Arts!, The Glasgow School of Art, and The Glasgow School of Art Student Association.

Why is it called ‘queer timɘs school ’?
‘queer timɘs school ’ is concerned with what we may think of as ‘education’ relating to history-making, heritage and community. Education is a knotty area for LGBTPQI pupils and educators; whether in schools, colleges or universities. Despite important work on reform, formal education environments – and curriculums being taught – haven’t always been sufficiently safe, supportive, representative, inclusive, informed or responsive. This includes providing for life-stories to be taught that are othered to those that perpetuate heterosexual dominance. However, equality is having an affect and measures are being taken to change these situations.

Learning also occurs in situations other to formal education. LGBTPQI people, and their allies, have actively developed or benefitted from: charities, organisations, grass-roots and community-centred projects; protests and campaigns that have affected change; records and archives of lives lived, their marginalisation but also their feats; those who have challenged structures that exclude equal access and rights to health, education, housing and employment; alternative structures for care, family, kinship and friendship; and the work of researchers, strategists and policy-makers from various disciplines.

Who is Jason E. Bowman?
Jason is a queer, Scottish artist with a long-term commitment to working with communities via participation. Alongside citizens, organisations and institutions he develops projects that challenge normative structures. These projects address omissions, exclusions, coercions and suppressions and are based on narratives of community struggles and actions. Jason’s work has been commissioned internationally by museums and galleries and he teaches at the Valand Academy at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. He has developed numerous projects with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Polysexual, Queer and Intersex people, and their allies, of different ages, heritages, ancestries and backgrounds, including class.

Who are the artists that will produce the prints?
The artists have not yet been selected and that process is currently under discussion. The discussion points include whether it should be artists who work in arenas such as: crime reconstruction; illustrators of children’s books that address LGBTPQI lives; botanical and medical artists and illustrators; political cartoonists; artists who depict court cases etc. And, whether the artists involved should be LGBTPQI+A identifying and resident in Glasgow, Scotland or internationally.

Whilst discussions develop between GoMA and Jason E. Bowman further research will be done and the project’s ‘core group’ will also be able to discuss the criteria for the selection of artists.