Infinite Growth
May 4 - August 12, 2022
Frederick Arts Council, Frederick, MD
The power to demand how the world must change, form, improve, and grow in order to create a better existence is central to the artwork of Infinite Growth. In this exhibition featuring LGBTQ+ artists from Frederick and the mid-Atlantic region, artists respond to the idea of limitless change - understanding and embracing the emerging fluidity and perpetual transformation of the human experience. Curated by Jillian Abir MacMaster, the exhibition features the work of Ruby Bassford, Asher Burrows, Mentwab Easwaran, Jamie Gerhold, Ashley Renee Hoffman, Marz Jackson, Molly Marie Nuzzo, Brooklyn Rando, Charlotte Richardson-Deppe, and Becca Schwartz to consider how growth is cultivated, nurtured, and experienced.
The exhibition was juried alongside a panel of scholars, artists, and LGBTQ+ advocates, including:
Simone Kolysh, MPH, PhD (they/them) is a lesbian agender mother of four and a feminist scholar of race, gender, and sexuality. Their background in Biology, Public Health, LGBTQ studies, and Sociology aids their scholar-activism and commitment to revolutionary futures. Dr. Kolysh’ first book, Everyday Violence: The Public Harassment of Women and LGBTQ People, was published in September 2021 with Rutgers University Press and their current book project is on transgender and nonbinary people’s reproductive journeys and barriers to care. You can learn more about and hire Dr. Kolysh at http://simonekolysh.com.
Rex Delafkaran (she/her) is an Iranian-American interdisciplinary artist and dancer from California, currently based in Washington, D.C. Delafkaran holds a degree in Ceramics and Performance Art from the San Francisco Art Institute. Using movement and objects she explores ideas of failure and tensions between bodies, intimacy and language. She has exhibited work and staged performances at the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum (Washington, DC), IA&A at Hillyer (Washington, DC), Transformer Gallery (Washington, DC), Panoply Performance Lab (Brooklyn, NY), Southern Exposure Gallery (San Francisco, CA), and the Textile Museum at The George Washington University (Washington, DC) among other venues. Delafkaran was formerly the Exhibition Director of Hamiltonian Artists in Washington, DC, and is currently the Co Founder and Co Director of but, also, an art space based in DC and online. Often working collaboratively, Delafkaran curates independently, and continues to perform and exhibit nationally and internationally.
Glorie Cassutto (they/she) is a lifelong local of Frederick and dedicated member of the queer community. Glorie graduated from Brunswick High School in 2015 and from Hood College in 2019 with a degree in Social Work and minor in the Study of Women and Gender. During their time at Hood College, Glorie served as the first Diversity Chair of the Student Government Association Executive Board and as a Resident Assistant of Meyran Hall. Glorie received the Epitome Award from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for dedication to social justice in the Hood community. They also participated in the Hood College Improv Troupe, Feminist and Queer Student Unions, acted in ‘A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and a Prayer’, ‘The Vagina Monologues’, and was Lucy in ‘You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown’. Since graduating, Glorie has worked as a Therapeutic Mentor with children with emotional and behavioral disorders, and as a Supports Planner for people with disabilities. Glorie enjoys spending their free time in a hammock with their nose in a book, or on a hike with their partner, Anthony, and dogs, Cheech and Percy. Glorie is thrilled to join The Frederick Center and to work with other members of the LGBTQ Frederick Community.