'Vagina Monologues' to stay off campus

Thursday, march 4, 2010MARQUEETribune 13UWM packs a full house for LGBT Drag ShowPhoto by Erica BreunlinAll tips given to performers were donated to Project Q, the youth branch ofMilwaukee’s LGBT Community Center.Kings and queens challenge gender rolesBy Erica Breunlinerica.breunlin@marquette.eduLady Gaga may have a voicethat can sell millions of records,but her trademark costumes can’teven begin to compare to those ofhyper-feminine dancer Lady Gia.This Milwaukee show-stopperwas just one of the 22 entertainersto perform at the University ofWisconsin-Milwaukee’s annualDrag Show Saturday, Feb. 27.Now in its ninth year, the show,hosted by the school’s LGBT ResourceCenter, raised funds forProject Q — the youth branch ofthe Milwaukee LGBT CommunityCenter.Warren Scherer, program coordinatorfor UW-Milwaukee’sLGBT Resource Center, said thedrag show works to illuminatethree different facets of LGBTsociety: cultural, social and educational.As the LGBT ResourceCenter’s largest event, it advancesthe mission of the center, raisingawareness and visibility of LGBTstudents’ needs and their identityacross campus.The Drag Show, which sparksinterest well beyond the walls ofthe university, began in 1999 underthe sole direction of students.With the founding of the LGBTResource Center in 2001, however,the organization processchanged, with the LGBT Centerrunning the program for the pastnine years.Scherer was one of the show’shosts, dressing in drag as “Isis,”along with drag king “JoeMama.”Scherer describes a drag showas a unique part of the LGBTculture that falls within the transgenderarena. Whether lip syncingor singing live, drag queensand kings create their own individualpersonalities and accentthem with eccentric costumes andmakeup.“It challenges the rigid conceptsof masculinity and the rigidconcepts of femininity,” Scherersaid.Over the years, drag has movedfrom what Scherer describes as“dark, sometimes seedy, Cabaretshows and dens” to more mainstreamentertainment. In addition,drag has further evolvedfrom centering exclusively ondrag queens to now include dragkings, women who impersonatemen, as well as hyper-masculineand hyper-feminine performers,who portray extreme examples oftheir own genders.“It allows people to step outsideof themselves if they’re performing,”Scherer said.He said it also allows audiencemembers to step outside themselvesand gives them an opportunityto cut loose and have fun.This year, the drag show tallieda record crowd of 900 UWMstudents, faculty, alumni and thegeneral public. A decade ago, theballrooms were not even half full.Now they are overflowing.“A lot of the feedback thatwe’ve gotten from the communityhas been very supportive andstudents seem really excited,”Scherer said.However, he acknowledged thefact that not everyone extendssuch strong support for the event.Regardless, the LGBT ResourceCenter put on the showfor a good cause. While the eventwas free, all tips for the performersand donations went directly toProject Q.The amount collected has yetto be determined, although inyears past the event’s efforts haveraised an average of $1,600.“All of the drag queens are volunteeringtheir time and energy,”Scherer said.While drag queens from acrossthe country have performed inprevious shows, most of Satur-Art reveals Colombian beauty despite turmoilLatino Arts Galleryexhibits abstractpaintings until AprilBy Sarah Elmssarah.elms@marquette.eduVibrant colors, bold brushstrokes and glossy texture —Colombian artist Andrea Rojasholds nothing back in her latestcollection, “Freedom WithoutBorders.”Rojas’ exhibition of abstractpaintings opened Friday at theLatino Arts Gallery on the campusof the United CommunityCenter, 1028 S. 9th St.The UCC was only a smallscalecultural center when ZulayOszkay, artistic director of LatinoArts, Inc., began working there in1993. Now, the center serves thecommunity needs of more than18,000 Hispanic and south sideMilwaukeeresidents.O s z k a ysaid the artshave alwaysbeen an importantpartof the center,and LatinoArts isalways tryingto bring in international artiststo share their work.That’s how Andrea Rojas cameinto the picture.“We finally get to represent Colombia,”Oszkay said. “It’s beena hard one with programming logisticswith that country.”Oszkay said the South Americannation of Colombia has beenin a period of violent civil conflictfor decades. Because of this“You should not quicklyglance at my art. The purposeof it is for you to stop andlook at it with care. I wantyou to experience it.”An d r e a Ro j a s“Freedom WIthout Borders” artiststrained political climate, internationalprogramming for Colombianartists has been difficult.“Freedom Without Borders” isa collection of abstract expressionistpaintings, a style that allowsRojas creative and emotionalliberation.A native of Colombia, Rojasuses her art to illustrate the troublingparadox that embodies hercountry — Colombia is amongthe most biodiverse nations onthe planet, and is home to beautifuljungles, yet there is destructiveviolence constantly ragingaround it.“You should not quickly glanceat my art,” Rojas said. “The purposeof it is for you to stop andlook at it with care. I want you toexperience it.”Rojas said she feels deeply connectedto nature. She paints herinterpretations of the nature sheobserves and leaves it up to theviewer to interpret the meaning.“Vuelos Estridentes”(LoudFlights) is one ofRojas’ many expressionsof naturein this collection. Itis a striking piece,with warm orangeand yellow backgroundcolors andwinged creaturespainted in various shades of bluesand greens. The notion of flight isapparent, and the piece conveysthe energy of the jungle that Rojaslooks to for inspiration.Another painting, “Espiritu DeCarnaval” (Spirit of the Carnival),strays from nature but still illustratesthe culture of Colombia.This painting is Rojas’ illustrationof the many celebrations andtraditions of her home country.“In my country, the folkloreand amount of carnivals there iscountless,” Rojas said. “It seemsthat even though there are hardships,we as Colombians moveforward.”Oszkay said Rojas’ messageabout the violence in Colombiais evident in her work. However,Rojas has not trapped the viewerin negativity because of all thebeauty her art embodies.“I think, in the end, you dowalk away with a sense of hope,”Oszkay said. “The beauty is verypowerful and nature is forgiving.She kind of reminds you to takecare of it.”Amy Denner, a freshman in theday’s entertainment traced backto UWM.“This year, I’m particularlyproud of the fact that a lot of theperformers are UWM students orUWM alum,” Scherer said. “Allof the performers are from thegreater Milwaukee area.”Lady Gia, who directs dragshows at Triangle Bar everyThursday night, has been involvedwith UWM’s Drag Showsince its first year and has becomea definite crowd favorite. One ofthe hyper-feminine performers atthe Drag Show, Lady Gia said shehas always been interested in performing.“I always loved being on thestage and being a dancer,” LadyGia said.This year, she brought nearlyevery audience member to theirfeet with her finale rendition ofLady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”Year after year, she has returnedto support the LGBT Center’smission and has watched attendanceexpand.“It makes people realize there’snothing wrong with gay people,”Lady Gia said.UWM sophomore CameronSproul, who had a friend in theshow, said he came for that exactreason.“It shows the diversity andshows how open our campus is toall people,” Sproul said.There’s always the entertainmentfactor as well.As Scherer put it, “To quote afamous drag queen, ‘Who doesn’tlove a drag show?’”Photo by Sarah ElmsDue to Colombia’s strained political climate, international programming for the country’s artists has been difficult.College of Nursing, visited theLatino Arts Gallery for her Spanishclass.Denner said she had only goneto the exhibit because she wasrequired to for class, but that sheended up taking away more thanshe thought.“If you look at them at first,you don’t really notice anything,”Denner said. “But when you takea step back, you can see that thepaintings are actually of something,not just random colors.”In addition to her artwork, Rojasbegan a foundation in Bogotáin 2007 to work with high-riskyouth in Columbia. Her goal is toteach them to develop their creativityas a way to cope with theviolence, corruption and fear surroundingthem.“The function of art is to get intouch with our sensibility as humanbeings,” Rojas said. “It reallyis freedom without borders.”If you want to learn more aboutAndrea Rojas or view her collectionof paintings, check out“Freedom Without Borders” atthe Latino Arts Gallery, on displayuntil April 16.