By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Photos courtesy of FRANK
FRANK is a new community of Atlanta-based LGBTQIA+ artists. Their mission? Challenge societal norms, dismantle insular beliefs, and provoke meaningful dialogue around art, culture, politics, sexuality, and gender. Their inaugural exhibition is this coming Sunday, and we got a chance to talk to one of the founding members, Clint Zeagler, about the newly formed community, the exhibition itself, and the work they are doing to create spaces where subjects are explored with authenticity, respect, and courage.
First up, please tell us what FRANK is all about and how the concept evolved.
FRANK started from a desire to build community among Atlanta LGBTQ+ artists. We like the name because of its direct and honest connotation, but also because it sounds like a name.
Many of the founding artists were in a group exhibition called Queer Perspectives at the Steffan Thomas Museum of Art. During that exhibition opening and subsequent artist talks, we got to know each other, developed an appreciation for each other’s art, and found common goals. We also drew inspiration from a past gay male arts group in Atlanta, called TABOO, founded in 1987. TABOO worked alongside other organizations of the time, like ACT UP, to bring focus to gay issues during the AIDS crisis, a very hard time for the gay community. Members of FRANK were given the opportunity to view the TABOO archives at MOCA GA, and that formative experience helped lead to the creation of FRANK. Our collective, however, is focused on queer artists from across the LGBTQ+ community, rather than just gay men.
As mentioned, you have a wide variety of artists for this first exhibition. What were your thoughts around choosing these artists?
For our first exhibition, we really just wanted to introduce ourselves and showcase the art from each of the founding artists. For this exhibition, there was no selection committee, and the art is the personal expression and work of each individual artist.
Expect a diverse variety of media from photography, digital media, sculpture, painting, and textiles. I also expect a wide range of art in terms of price and size, so there should be something for everyone. If you want to start a collection, there are some wonderful artists with accessible pieces in the show. We will also have some FRANK tees at the opening, some wine, and Brad Gibson, aka DJ Neon Horror – it will be a good time with serious art and serious fun.
You’re also an artist yourself. What is your artistic expression?
I’m a textile artist, and this is my artist statement:
“In response to the increasing digitalization of life and specifically my life as a researcher and academic, my art has become an outlet for my hands and a respite from the technical. As artistic creation in some spheres has become or is moving towards learning to cleverly craft briefs for artificial intelligence, in my art, I am more interested in old-world techniques and textural manipulations too complex and too left to chance for machines to produce. Working with centuries-old root dye formulations and fixation methods, I color fabrics. Folding, pressing, knitting, deconstructing, aging, and embellishing with luxuries, I create compositions to evoke moods, to calm or energize. These compositions carry the story of the materials and textures, creating intentions. These textile incantations manifest and react to my experience living as a gay man in the American South. They are the salves and protections I search for; they are my spells and wards against a society that seeks to minimize my experience and harm my LGBTQ+ community.”
My current body of work is called ‘sea change’ and is in response to the same feelings I have around the founding of FRANK. In this moment of tension and uncertainty facing our LGBT+ community, my reaction has been one of reaching out and building connections, lending practical support, and safeguarding values and history.
How long will Being FRANK run?
It’s a short pop-up. It will run from Sept 14th through Sept 17th.
Do you have any future FRANK projects you can talk about?
We have lots of ideas. More group shows. FRANK discussions. Curated and juried shows around a topic with open calls to artists outside of our founding members. Every time we meet, we come up with an interesting idea. One Idea that has been floated is a public-facing wheat paste exhibition (so if one of your readers has a large, prominent public wall, please get in touch).
Why do you think Atlanta and the broader community need FRANK right now?
As a collective, we don’t have a leader or rigid structure, so I’m just going to comment from my personal opinion. I love what we have built so far. We get together and talk, we bounce ideas off each other, we encourage each other in times of trouble, and cheerlead in times of success. This kind of community building is how we, as a targeted group, can weather the storm. We need to learn from our past (like TABOO during the AIDS crisis) and hold onto the values and sparkle that not only make LGBTQ+ people special, but also enrich our lives and give our art meaning.
Art is often at the tip of the spear of change. It’s where we, as a larger society, see bravery and steadfastness in the face of censorship. That kind of bravery needs a support group and sometimes a scaffold to create new space and opportunity where others might be drying up.
How can you get involved with FRANK either as a patron or artist?
First and foremost, support local artists by buying their art. I can’t tell you the joy I get from seeing art that my husband and I have collected from local artists in my home. I know these people and their stories. Purchasing their art helps them continue to create more art. As far as getting involved with FRANK as an artist, we have no formal process other than everyone agreeing that someone should join. If you know one of us, reach out.
Even if you are not a member, look out for future calls for shows, because we have talked about having juried themed shows open to the larger Atlanta arts community at some point. Join our mailing list at frankatl.org.
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Check out FRANK, including all the founding artists at frankatl.org/founding-artists/, and make sure to be at the inaugural exhibition, featuring all the founding artists of FRANK:
Being FRANK: It Is Because I Am
Opening Reception: Sunday, September 14th, 4-8 PM
1544 Piedmont Ave NE, Suite 119, Atlanta, GA 30324
RSVP – https://frankatl.org/events/