The American LGBTQ+ Museum

Join our host lecturer, Cookie Woolner [author of The Famous Lady Lovers: Black Women and Queer Desire before Stonewall], for a vital evening in which we explore the history of Black singers whose immense talents and lived queer experience shaped the creation of the Blues as an artform.

Attendees can expect an exciting presentation that covers key historical figures followed by talented performers who bring them to life on the stage, all set within a transformed performance space that evokes queer nightclubs of the past.

FEATURED PERFORMERS

Jarvis Derrell (they/them) | two-time Emmy award winning writer, NYC nightlife Icon, and creator of @shehashadit!

Jade Jones (they/them) | multifaceted performer dedicated to storytelling that challenges norms and centers joy, creates music under the artist name Litty Official

Dionne McClain-Freeney (she/her) | pianist, composer, lyricist, choral and musical director, arranger, singer and teaching artist off-Broadway and in multiple churches

ABOUT WOOLNER’S THE FAMOUS LADY LOVERS

Black queer women have shaped American culture since long before the era of gay liberation. Decades prior to the Stonewall Uprising, in the 1920s and 1930s, Black “lady lovers”—as women who loved women were then called—crafted a queer world. In the cabarets, rent parties, speakeasies, literary salons, and universities of the Jazz Age and Great Depression, communities of Black lady lovers grew, and queer flirtations flourished.

ABOUT REVERB: COLLABORATION BETWEEN AMERICAN LGBTQ+ MUSEUM AND CULTURE LAB LIC

An immersive program series that connects the echoes of queer history to the present through captivating history lessons and live performances. Each event features a blend of lectures, music, dance, and interactive experiences, all set within a casual, speakeasy atmosphere. Participants can explore archival materials and ephemera that highlight a unique aspect of queer history, showcasing how its reverberations continue to shape and influence the LGBTQ+ community. Reverb creates a space to cultivate a deeper connection to queer history through both education and expression.

ABOUT AMERICAN LGBTQ+ MUSEUM

The American LGBTQ+ Museum (ALM) preserves, investigates, and celebrates the dynamic histories and cultures of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, as well as those of the emergent and adjacent identities among our communities. Using exhibitions and programs, we seek to advance LGBTQ+ equality through the lens of social justice movements, including, but not limited to, race, gender, class, immigration, and disability. Follow us and learn more at https://americanlgbtqmuseum.org.

ABOUT CULTURE LAB LIC

Culture Lab LIC is a 501(c)(3) formed to be the arts and culture umbrella for Western Queens. We present local, national, and international art of all genres, while supporting New York artists and other nonprofits by providing space, resources and a sense of community. Operating out of a 12,000 square foot converted warehouse, Culture Lab LIC hosts two fine art galleries, an 80 seat theater, classroom space, an 18,000 square foot outdoor venue, and a robust residency program. Culture Lab LIC is dedicated to upholding, equity, diversity and inclusion across all our platforms. Learn more at https://www.culturelablic.org.

ACCESSIBILITY

• The Gallery at Culture Lab LIC is wheelchair accessible from the street
• ASL Interpretation will be provided upon request | please email info@americanlgbtqmuseum.org at least one week prior to the program

Culture Lab LIC strives to ensure that its services are accessible to people with disabilities. Culture Lab LIC has invested a significant amount of resources to help ensure that its website is made easier to use and more accessible for people with disabilities, with the strong belief that website accessibility efforts assist all users and that every person has the right to live with dignity, equality, comfort and independence. Learn more at: https://www.culturelablic.org/accessibility.

ABOUT THE PHOTO

Bessie Smith, the Empress of the Blues. From Jazzmen, 1938.

BIOS

Jade Jones (they/them) is a multifaceted performer dedicated to storytelling that challenges norms and centers joy. They were most recently seen in the world premiere of We Are Gathered by Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, and are widely recognized for their celebrated portrayal of Belle in Olney Theatre Center’s internationally acclaimed Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Jade made their New York debut as Mary in the Off-Broadway revival of Vanities, and recently took the stage as Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables at The MUNY, the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor theater. They’ve appeared on ABC’s 20/20 for the 25th anniversary Cinderella reunion special alongside Billy Porter and Todrick Hall, and their work has been featured in Playbill, MSNBC, and People. As a music artist, Jade creates under the nameLitty Official, with original music available on Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud.

Dionne McClain-Freeney (she/her), pianist, composer, lyricist, choral and musical director, arranger, singer and teaching artist’s credits include accompaniment in some of New York’s most beloved churches, appearances here and abroad, including Joe’s Pub, and off-Broadway musical direction. Her award-winning compositions and arrangements (New York Philharmonic, NYMF, GLAAD Media Award nominee) include commissioned TYA works “Rice and Rocks” and “Not So Fair-y Tales”; “The Harriet Holland Social Club Presents the 84th Annual Star-Burst Cotillion in the Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel” (music and lyrics; play by Colette Robert), “Going Home: A Movement of Voices” (Allison Sniffin, co-composer), “The Movie Star and The Mammy,” (music; book and lyrics by Bil Wright), “The Sugar Hill Sisters” (music; book and lyrics by Bil Wright), and “This One Girl’s Story” (music and lyrics; book by Bil Wright). Dionne has also provided arrangements and musical direction for Theater Breaking Through Barriers and Piper Theatre. She’s a composer in the BMI Lehman Engel Advanced Musical Theater Workshop and a member of its advisory board.