I’ve known of interdisciplinary artist Zach Ozma for many years now. Friendly satellites back in Oakland, where I encountered him through our mutual friend, writer Emme Lund, Zach and I didn’t really get to talking until he was touring in New York to promote the Lambda-winning WE BOTH LAUGHED IN PLEASURE: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan, which he co-edited with Ellis Martin, in 2019. I liked him very much right away; handsome and accomplished though he is, Zach’s cozy effervescence makes it impossible to feel intimidated or uncertain around him.
I hope you keep this in mind when I tell you that this working artist of some renown is going to be GOOD ADVICE/BAD GAY’s second special guest star1. How exciting slash don’t be shy!
That means that you can now submit your queer art questions for the chance to have Bad Gay and Zach answer them. Everyone who submits under this theme gets:
(1) 3-month subscription to GOOD ADVICE/BAD GAY, which includes access to our archives
(1) Chance to have their question answered by the good doctor and our esteemed guest
(1) Entry into a raffle for stickers, pins, and posters made by Zach, plus the big enchilada: this Zach Ozma creation
But wait a minute. Queer art questions—what does that even mean? The prompt is open-ended, but here are some thought-starters:
queerness, art, queer art, artistic practice, artistic jealousy, feelings around success/failure, how to get or stay inspired, how to prioritize art in your life, what the hell is queer art anyway??, the weirdness of being curated as ~queer~, am I really making art?, should I quit my jobs and move to the mountains to make art? what does queer art do?
So, to recap: Send your queer art question to badgayadvice@gmail.com by midnight on Sunday, February 20. Have a mutual aid or reparations project to recommend? We prioritize individuals, groups, and orgs led by and for black, POC, indigenous, trans, queer, incarcerated, disabled, drug using, and sex working individuals, so please send them our way! You’ve shared $2,827 in subscriber funds, so it’s gonna be a big one 😎.
GOOD ADVICE/BAD GAY is an advice series from an anonymous gay therapist who’s not afraid to hurt your feelings with the truth. (Sample an unlocked post for a taste of what you’re missing.) 100% of funds go to support a rotating selection of projects like No New Jails NYC, Noname Book Club, SWOP Minneapolis, For The Gworls, St. James Infirmary, No North Brooklyn Pipeline, and SWOP Behind Bars, plus many more.
Revisit our first, when friend-of-the-column, Frankie, advised a reader on sex, gender, and kink.
GOOD ADVICE/BAD GAY: a new giveaway