Kudos to the Des Moines Art Center, where an exhibit that won’t open until next June has already received a grand honor. The exhibit “For Today I Am A Boy: Contemporary Queer Abstraction” has been cited for commendation by an awards program run by the venerable and international art auction house Sotheby’s.
The local exhibit, being curated by Jared Ledesma, will be the first in the Art Center’s 70-year history to focus exclusively on queer subject matter. It marks a substantial shift in the Art Center’s programming by purposely including voices that have been left out of art history.
“I am thrilled that ‘For Today I Am a Boy’ has been commended by the Sotheby’s Prize jury,” Ledesma says. “This is a huge step toward the full recognition and appreciation of queer art history. I thank Sotheby’s, and I look forward to what promises to be a beautiful—and critical—exhibition.”
Art Center director Jeff Fleming adds, “As the Des Moines Art Center strives to become more inclusive and welcoming to diverse audiences, we are committed to organizing challenging and timely exhibitions to promote empathy and gain understanding of each other through the art of our time.”
