DAY JOBS + QUEER UTOPIAS

DAY JOBS + QUEER UTOPIAS is a group of sculptural and mixed media artworks that are born at the intersection of labor and art. The six artists on display–Daisy Diamond, josh graupera, Mary Henjes, Clyde Jurysta, Nicki Ripple and Ash Fritzsche–marry their vocational skill sets with their queer daydreams to create a tapestry of radical world-building. Curated by DVAA Linda Lee Alter Fellow Ash Fritzsche, the objective of DAY JOBS + QUEER UTOPIAS is to dissolve social constructs around class, art and gender and to celebrate the queering of labor and the romance of craft.

Working in varied media, each artist brings their unique blend of skills and visions to the exhibition: welder and objects conservator Daisy Diamond uses textiles and welding to create contemporary relics of ritual and memory, while educator josh graupera uses drawing, painting, sound and sculpture to put the art of world-building into the hands of their audience. Mary Henjes combines their passion for automechanics and metal to create sculptures that defy definition, and Clyde Jurysta borrows from their background in electrical construction to create sculptures and light art that elicit queerness and illusion. Carpenter and sea captain Nicki Ripple’s art is informed by their years spent on traditional sailing vessels, while Ash Fritzsche’s work relies on a devotion to the structural underpinnings of our unseen world.

Each of these artists’ works exist firmly within their respective work environments. Together the artworks shift traditional narratives around gender, craft, skill and art and encourage the audience to delve into the nuances of liberation and labor. Artist josh graupera considers their practice of world building “a daily ritual of reflection and dreaming.” In DAY JOBS + QUEER UTOPIA, Fritzsche aims to showcase the potential of the nourished daydream.

DAY JOBS + QUEER UTOPIAS will be on view in Gallery 1 at Da Vinci Art Alliance October 3 until October 20 with an opening reception on October 5th from 4-7pm. Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with the artworks and participate in discussions and workshops throughout the month.