What was so scandalous about ‘evil’ LGBTQ art show canceled by local college?

Harvester Arts enjoyed record turnout last Final Friday, as hundreds of people walked through its doors throughout the evening.

The show: Genevieve Waller’s “Rainbow in Reverse: Queer Kansas History.”

Harvester quickly picked up the show after its intended host – Newman University – canceled it, citing “community concerns.”

But just what was so concerning about the show? At the time of its cancellation, the contents of the show were merely the subject of speculation.

Apparently the controversy revolved around stuffed pretzels, disco balls, a sponge patchwork rug and biographical information about six LGBTQ Kansans – mostly from the early 20th century.

There are no sexually explicit materials in the exhibition.

Beside the stuffed pretzels, disco balls and abstract photograms, there are six wall panels with written biographies on six LGBTQ Kansans: Gilbert Baker, Louise Brooks, Ruby Dandridge, James Barr Fugate, William Inge and Stephanie Mott.

Waller, who has organized similar biographical exhibitions for Denver galleries before, said the show was equal parts historical and artistic.

“I wanted to try to merge these two aspects of my life – I do history research, but I’m also a practicing visual artist,” Waller said. “How can you have a history exhibition that also deals with works of art that are conceptual but don’t just scream, ‘I am about history?’”

Both the pretzels and the rug are explorations in “soft sculpture,” a tradition of the camp art movement of the 1960s.

It’s possible to dig deeper into the meaning behind the pretzels, Waller said.

But they’re also just fun to look at.

“People were flooding in there, and they were so happy to be here,” said Ryan Gates, co-founder of Harvester Arts. “It’s really playful. It’s really happy. It’s really kid-friendly – we had lots of children running around in here. They loved the pretzels.”

Because of the controversy surrounding the show, it was perhaps the most anticipated opening of January’s Final Friday. A sizable contingent of students and other representatives from Newman University attended the opening.

The university’s decision to cancel the exhibition drew national attention, with outlets such as the Huffington Post and the National Catholic Reporter picking up the story.

The controversy continues to roil at Newman University, as a second email campaign by members of the Catholic community is now urging the school to disband its LBGTQ club, Kaleidoscope.

Newman students have reportedly been staging a sort of “protest” in its Steckline Gallery over the last week or so, leaving notes and written responses on the floor in the empty gallery. Students, faculty members – and even some Adorers of the Blood of Christ sisters – have expressed support.

“I think that’s a really wonderful outcome of this,” Waller said. “Maybe the students have a better platform now to talk about how they don’t feel accepted by the university. It’s becoming this place where suddenly a discussion is starting.”

“Rainbow in Reverse: Queer Kansas History” is on display at Harvester Arts, 215 N. Washington, through Feb. 16. The gallery is open by appointment only – to schedule an appointment, call the gallery at 316-530-2203.

This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 10:27 AM with the headline "What was so scandalous about ‘evil’ LGBTQ art show canceled by local college?."