Local queer artists join forces, raise money for queer youth, & remember Orlando victims
Like so many queers across the world, Kenzie Sitterud’s heart broke as news flooded our airwaves about the mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, which left 49 dead and more than 50 others injured.
It didn’t take long for the artist to decide to take a stand; both in the victims’ memory and against the violence that plagues the queer community. Standing in her kitchen, she turned to her partner of 4 years, Samantha Field, and declared “we have to do something.”
Those five little words ignited a spark that would lead to an entire community of artists and performers coming together with a common goal: support Colorado’s queer community.
Artists for Change was born. Artists for Change is a collaborative artist show and silent auction, in light of the massacre in Orlando, to raise awareness and money for mental health support for our LGBTQ community, specifically the people of color in the queer community.
“I was already scheduled to do a solo show at [Carbon Beverage Café & Habit Doughnuts], but doing a solo show after what happened in Orlando didn’t feel right — it felt selfish,” Kenzie said. “So I decided to start reaching out to my artists friends and asking if they would want to be a part of something like Artists for Change.”
Unsurprisingly, her designer and artist friends were on board. But as the date of the auction grew nearer so did the number of queers interested in being a part of the one night show.
One of those artists is Carlos D. Flores — a married, bisexual, recent Denver transplant from Florida.
“I’m pretty new to the queer community even though I’ve been queer all my life,” Carlos said as he poured steaming water into a French press. “Three o’clock is magic coffee hour in Puerto Rico. Drink up.”
Carlos spews creativity. Whether he is writing or directing short films, painting with oil or water color, snapping photos, or composing music on the cuatro, the Puerto Rico native is translating his emotions into art.
Most recently, his art has taken a bit of a queer turn. Carlos publicly came out as bisexual a year ago this week.
“Coming out was not an easy decision, but a necessary one for my mental health and [the relationship between my wife and I.] Things didn’t suddenly turn around, but I did find a path,” he said.
That path pushed him towards Colorado, where he started painting more, started a film company, Watcheye Studios, and began exploring the queer community.
“The first time I felt completely safe and comfortable being who I was, outside of the life I built with my wife, was at Charlie’s,” he said. “I could go dance and not worry about the people around me were thinking.”
Carlos had only experienced the sanctuary gay bars provide for queers once before he heard of the Orlando shooting, which hit home on too many levels.
“So many of the victims were queer, Puerto Rican, and from Florida,” he said. “I can check all of those boxes. These were my brothers and sisters, and it really took a toll.”
Carlos was invited to join Artists for Change after he posted his art on the Facebook page Denver Queer Exchange. Without hesitation, Carlos started working on a piece to remember his fallen brother and sisters.
Sitting in the corner of his apartment — armed with a canvas and water colors — he began merging together traits from the victims into one portrait. As he sat staring at the colorful man staring back at him, he couldn’t help but notice the similarities in his own face.
“It’s hard to look at even now,” he said. “As I worked on it my wife asked if I was doing a self portrait, and in a way I was.”
Aside from his dancing night at Charlie’s and the candlelight vigil held in Cheesman Park after the mass shooting, this will be the only time he has emerged himself in the queer community.
“It truly is an honor to be a part of this show, and help raise money for such a kick-ass organization,” Carlos said.
All money raised tonight will benefit the Buried Seedz of Resistance — a youth-led project working to build community power to break cycles of violence affecting queer youth.
BSEEDZ is unique in the way that they fight for the queer community, but also focus on the rights of people of color. Their website reads:
“BSEEDZ reflected on the resilience of queer people of color worldwide and found inspiration in a old Mexican proverb that read: “Trataron de enterrarnos. No sabían que éramos semillas” which translates to “they tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds”. With this proverb the BSEEDZ collective envisioned a future where we continued on the humble path of resistance that our ancestors planted onto us. BSEEDZ commits to survive, thrive, and continue on fighting with love, fire, and light with the nourishments of our spirits, minds, bodies, and souls. We are Buried Seedz of Resistance and liberation survives within us.”
“As we set up this night, we wanted to remember the victims of Orlando, but donate the money we raise to a local queer group,” Samantha Field said. “BSEEDZ was perfect, because we really want to support our future queer leaders. It also goes deeper than just organization ran by white people for white people, who usually are the beneficiaries of silent auctions.”
Samantha, who works as a counselor and the queer youth coordinator for Out Boulder and helped organize Artists for Change, sees the event as the first step in sustainable urgency — making quick changes in the world that will effect people in a positive way for years to come.
“We start by raising awareness and promoting the organizations that are fighting for the same thing,” Samantha said.
The silent auction, which now has live performances from Haus of Fish Candy, Lady’s and the gentleman, Ashe Bowen, and Jenny Kramer Wheeler FROM Miraas Circus Arts, opens the doors of Carbon Beverage Café & Habit Doughnuts at 5pm, and will shut down just after 9:30pm.
