RAISING MONEY TO START A NEW SPACE FOR QUEER CREATIVES IN MANCHESTER: Manchester Queer Salon

I’m hosting an event for artists/creatives to plan the development of a NEW Queer Creative Community in Manchester: Manchester Queer Salon.

We need £100 to cover venue hire for the evening for the first event so, if you support the idea of creating a new third space for queer creativity and connection, please donate so we can get the ball rolling!

This first event is a casual meet up for queer creatives to meet each other, talk about what they do, what they’d want a dedicated creative community to look like and do, and what would help them in their practice.

From these chats, we will plan what a Manchester Queer Salon would actually do, be that workshops, exhibitions, discussions, scratch nights, etc.

What is a Salon?

Andre leon talley says it best: “A salon is a room where you go to converse, and you serve beautiful drinks and you talk about politics, religion, love, art, sex, beauty, wine, roses, and that fabulous girl and her fabulous derierre.”

Salons have existed since the 1700s. They were spaces where creatives would share their work with select guests and exchange ideas freely. They were hosted mostly by women in lavish living rooms - deliberately not in institutions, as a way to rebel against them freely.

Salons offer an intimate space for creatives to connect with each other, present their work, discuss and experiment with ideas, and form meaningful connections based on sharing ideas and creativity in an open and interested circle of friends.

Salons often feature guest artists and can include readings from guest writers, reading groups, themed events, and small exhibitions, scratch nights, or performance of works in progress within a supportive community.

Why a Salon?

Honestly, the most predominant queer scene in Manchester is the club scene. I love to go to the club and a huge part of Queer culture stems from and exists specifically within club culture, but when the club becomes the only way to experience queerness and form queer identity and foster connection we risk losing something really important.

Queer nightlife is such a special thing, and is very special to me personally as well. Our safe spaces and sources of revolution were our clubs. The first time i felt genuinely free to be queer was in a club. But different things were going on in our clubs (and the afters) historically then compared to now, and, in the past, they weren't the be all and end all of what our community could be. Rampant addiction in our community shows a need for an active alternative space for us to come together and have an outlet to express ourselves.

Historically queers have always been makers of culture! Poetry! Art! Performance! Music! Thought! Historically, Queer Art and Queer Thinking has made monumental changes to the world, for the better. So I want to help facilitate a space that encourages and supports queers to come together in a third space and connect in a different way.

If you can, please donate to the gofundme - I need to cover the £100 venue hire for the first event to take place as I want attendance to be free.

Once the £100 is raised I’ll book the venue and set up a booking link to keep track of numbers.

We’re looking at a date of Wednesday 27th May to hold the event - it would be great to see people there and hear your experiences and dreams for the future.