Make Visible
Make Visible is an ongoing, community led project developed by artist, curator, and activist Shannon Novak.
Aim
To grow support for queer communities worldwide by making visible challenges and triumphs for these communities through the lens of the arts.
Key oBJECTIVES
This project seeks to:
Reduce rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide in queer communities.
Create positive, meaningful, and sustained change for queer communities.
Make space for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) queer voices.
Illuminate, archive, and increase access to queer heritage.
Increase awareness and knowledge of queer communities.
Share local queer knowledge and skills.
Collaboratively research, develop, present, and evaluate new work.
Increase awareness and knowledge of the arts as a way to drive and support positive, meaningful, and sustained change for queer communities.
Key APPROACH
This project seek to achieves its objectives through social practice.
The logo
The project logo was developed by Novak. It is a heart shape formed by merging the initials of the project name “M” and “V”. The colour spectrum inside represents queer communities.
Origins
Novak developed this project as his contribution to The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT10) in 2021 at the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
The project launched in September 2021 through a series of interventions inside the gallery and outside the gallery (satellite spaces), making visible key challenges and triumphs local (Queensland) LGBTQI+ communities face.
DOCUMENTATION
This page will track outputs of the project below.
Make Visible: Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Location: Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, New Zealand.
Year commenced: 2022.
Key supporter: Wellington City Council.
Key outcomes:
Increased visibility and support of queer communities.
Increased engagement between queer communities and archives, businesses, and government organisations.
Centred and amplified queer voices through public installations.
Increased amount of archived and shared local queer heritage.
Increased number of safe spaces for queer communities in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Improved process for wiping historical homosexual convictions in New Zealand.
Make Visible: Taranaki
Location: Taranaki, New Zealand.
Year commenced: 2022.
Key supporter: Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre.
Key outcomes:
Increased visibility and support of queer communities.
Increased engagement between queer communities and the gallery.
Centred and amplified queer voices through public installations.
Make Visible: Queensland
Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Year commenced: 2021.
Key supporter: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA).
Key outcomes:
Increased visibility and support of queer communities, particularly queer youth, families, and communities in rural areas.
Increased engagement between queer communities and galleries, museums, and universities.
Centred and amplified queer voices through public programs.
Archived project content from local queer communities as a new collection in the QAGOMA Research Library Special Collections.
Established the QAGOMA Inclusion Group (QIG) to drive positive and inclusive space for staff, visitors, and stakeholders.