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Schmaker’s founding of the DMGMC precipitated the creation of a vibrant gay men’s community space in the Midwest, and the group evolved amidst changes to the social and political landscape for queer Midwesterners. For these performances, chorus members wear various campy outfits such as a nun’s habit or kink styles, such as harnesses. In contrast to the other two main concerts, the cabaret show is an opportunity for the chorus to “let their hair down” and “to do something a little bit naughtier, a little bit riskier, a little bit off the choral path that is not your Bach or your Andrew Lippa” (Paul Hengesteg, DMGMC member since 2011). The chorus’ cabaret-style concert began in 2009 and they now occur every June as a celebration of Pride Month. For these concerts, members almost exclusively wear tuxedos for the entire performance, but some choose to accessorize with rhinestones or glitter, reflecting feminine-leaning aesthetics adopted by some gay men. One is a formal solstice concert held in December, and another is a formal spring concert held in March. In this mini-exhibition, we examine how the DMGMC members fashioned and styled themselves during various performances, and consider how gay men’s chorus members navigate entanglements of tradition, gayness, and music while also reclaiming oppressive symbology.ĭMGMC members perform three concerts per year, selecting music that reflects the organization’s values and goals. With the inclusion of “gay” in its new name, the ensemble signaled pride in an overt queer identity. Along with this change, the group rechristened itself as the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus (DMGMC). In 2001, the group chose a new leader, Dr. In 1991, the DMMC lost its director and could not find another, resulting in a ten-year hiatus. There was much concern over backlash against group members. The word “gay” was excluded from the original chorus’ name because of significant homophobia in Iowa during the early 1980s, especially amidst the AIDS epidemic when President Reagan refused to speak publicly about the public health crisis that disproportionality impacted gay and bisexual men. In 1984, John Schmaker founded the Des Moines Men’s Chorus (DMMC) in his basement, then a small group of about eight to ten members. Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, Queer Spaces, Collectives Styles, and Activist Dress, 1984 to the Presentĭes Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, Queer Spaces, Collectives Styles, and Activist Dress, 1984 to the Present Octo– March 2022 / MARY ALICE GALLERYĭuring the 1970s, people in the United States founded gay and lesbian choruses for political activism, coming out, and celebration.Try to plant native trees as they tend to be pest resistant and zero maintenance. Incredible investment (in inner city, high end neighborhoods, a mature oak or magnolia can increase property values by %20, and acorns are free, so you’re looking at a huge return in 50 years). If you want to help the environment, it’s significantly more effective than avoiding plastic straws. That’s probably a $30 investment from Lowe’s. alone will give you plenty of blooms from late May to August, at least. Ipomoea pandurata, Rudbeckia sp., Echinacea sp.
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Fresh bouquet every day really livens up a house. You can garden in an apartment with relatively inexpensive aquaponics, also.Ĭut flower gardening. Also gives an excuse for wood/metalworking on raised beds, trellises, etc. Vegetable gardening (the obvious) saves on money and is great to do with kids. There are so many types and so many uses.