In celebration of Pride, the Morgan presents two lectures on queer artists Rick Barton and Ray Johnson:
Talk 1
The Black Cat and the San Francisco Demi-monde, 1930s–60s
Gary Kamiya
Presented in conjunction with Writing a Chrysanthemum: The Drawings of Rick Barton, author and historian Gary Kamiya discusses the fertile, but embattled, countercultural underground and LGBTQ scene in San Francisco, from the city's first lesbian bar in the 1930s to the trials and triumphs of the Black Cat Cafe, where Barton was a patron.
Talk 2
On Ray Johnson, Real Life, and Photography
Caitlin Haskell and Joel Smith
In conjunction with PLEASE SEND TO REAL LIFE: Ray Johnson Photographs, join Caitlin Haskell and Joel Smith as they discuss the "career in photography" that absorbed artist Ray Johnson in his final years. Caitlin Haskell is Gary C. and Frances Comer Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and Director of Ray Johnson Collections and Research at The Art Institute of Chicago. Joel Smith is Richard L. Menschel Curator at The Morgan Library & Museum and the organizer of the exhibition.
Held Friday, June 24, 2022.