[Image description: A rectangular graphic with a yellow background for the upper half and a blue background for the lower half. Large blue text reads "Art and History from a Queer Perspective," and small black text reads "Series 6." White text reads "Monday, December 27 - 6:00-8:00 p.m.," "Instructor: Liz Bradbury, MFA," and "Snacks by Trish Sullivan." Yellow text reads "Class #4: OZ- from the Book to the Wiz." The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center logo is below in white, and the address "522 West Maple Street at Bayard Rustin Way, Allentown, PA 18101" is to the right of the logo in white. The right side of the graphic features a series of images featuring The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz.]
The fourth and final class of Series 6 of "Art (and) History From a Queer Perspective" focuses on Oz - from the book to "The Wiz."
The American classic, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," written by L. Frank Baum in 1900, and its 1939 Hollywood movie have been cited as the most influential American works of all time. One out of 3 books, movies, TV shows, and advertisements today makes a cultural reference to Oz -- and the whole world of Oz has all sorts of queer connections and references.
Did you know that the Wizard of Oz book was the first in a series of 14 Oz books written by Baum, and that they were banned by libraries because they featured a transgender child?
Did you know that the main series continued after Baum’s death and that two of the series continuing authors were gay?
Featured in this class will be some of the beautiful gender-bending Art Nouveau illustrations of the early books. We’ll cover the cult film "The Wiz" and the wildly successful groundbreaking Broadway musical it came from. And then there’s Judy Garland! There are a lot of reasons we were and still are called "Friends of Dorothy"! This class celebrates the queerness of Oz long before Wicked. Instructor (and Oz scholar) Liz Bradbury, MFA can’t wait for this one!
Sit back, prepare to laugh, view slides, listen, learn about and discuss the lives and work of LGBTQ+ artists and other key figures in history. Consider the LGBTQ+ imagery of mainstream artists in various eras. After the class, there is also a social opportunity to discuss interesting things with old friends -- or meet new ones.
The series has drawn a diverse and intergenerational group of LGBTQ+ folks. It’s a good place to bring old friends, meet new people, or bring someone on a nice first date!
The series is free and open to the public. Registration not required. Themed snacks will be provided, courtesy of Trish Sullivan.
For more information about the series, contact instructor Liz Bradbury at 610-432-5449 or [email protected].
522 W Maple St
at Bayard Rustin Way
Allentown, PA 18101
Google map and directions