Cecille R Hunt Gallery: Friday, 28 August 2015

THE GAY RUB

August 28-September 18, 2015

Opening reception: Friday, August 28^th, 2015 6:00pm-8:00pm

Artist lecture: Friday, August 28, 2015 noon -1:00PM Sverdrup Hall, Rm 123

The Gay Rub is a collaborative project created and organized by Steven Reigns showcasing a collection of over 150 rubbings from important markers of LGBTQ history.

Documenting historical signs, tombstones, cenotaphs, plaques, and monuments from around the world, the project seeks to draw attention to the LGBTQ events and individuals under-represented or underappreciated within history. The rubbings themselves act as an archive of historic markers, calling attention to what LGBTQ events and individuals gets recolonized or legitimized through public commemoration.

As a term, rub can have numerous connotations. As a verb, rub can mean to upset someone: “Rub someone the wrong way.” It can also mean truth: “That’s the rub;" or social friction: “He got a lot of rub for that.” And, of course, it can be slang for sexual activity: "To rub one out." It can also mean erasure: “Being rubbed out of history.” Most importantly, it is shorthand for the word "rubbing." All meanings apply. The Gay Rub is an assembling of our gay truth and the rub and rubbings that come from it. A special booklet accompanies the exhibition with information on each rubbing displayed

Cecille R Hunt Gallery

Department of Art, Design, and Art History

Webster University

8342 Big Bend Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63119