Join us for our FIRST EVER *LIVE* STONES TO RAINBOWS/GAY TO QUEER LIVES event!

June 19 & 20, 2021
Arlington Street Church
351 Boylston Street Boston, MA

REGISTER HERE

Peter DiMuro/Public Displays of Motion announces the first live (and livestreamed) in-progress showing of Stones to Rainbows/Gay to Queer Lives Saturday and Sunday June 19-20, 2021 at Arlington Street Church in Boston. Alongside core partners Arlington Street Church and Ágora Cultural Architects, PDM will present a “draft” of the multimedia installation “Queerhenge” - which serves as the main focal point  of performances, curated sound, video and images, all accumulating to an ultimate experience for visitors and audiences.

The inspiration for the project was sparked in rehearsal with a dancer in his 20s, another in his 30s, and DiMuro, in his 60s. A simple question was asked: “What was the AIDS crisis like to live through? I’ve only read about it in books.” The conversation evolved into an discussion of the terms “gay” and “queer”, their usage over time; and they asked, isn’t our current era’s killing of young trans women of color an epidemic of its own? The project further developed with the emergence of the coronavirus, which ultimately altered the course and scope of the developmental research. To date, nearly every event has been held online, which has enabled conversations not just in Boston, but across the globe, with participants from Texas, Washington, DC, France, New Zealand, and more.

In the project’s first phase, queer artists and community alike engaged in a series of cocktail parties, paired dialogues, and individual interviews. These dialogues were augmented by materials from the archives of project partner The History Project, self-identified as “the only organization focused exclusively on documenting and preserving the history of New England’s LGBTQ communities.” 

Stones to Rainbows/Gay to Queer Lives seeks to build upon these conversations and the archives of the past, satisfying a need for present day celebration and articulation of the spectrum of LGBTQ+ lives lived, in all their glorious diversity. 

Built on a foundation of our first-gay/now-queer histories in the hopes of creating a more intersectional voice for the future, the project is, in itself, a commission to all visitors and contributors to the dialogues who add to our collection of stories each day and to all performing artists defining the current queer world in Boston: Celebrate your queer and accumulated selves, be inspired by the past but not a slave to it; use your humanity, your dialogue, your talents to make a bridge for future queer lives.

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What to expect June 19 & 20:

Stones to Rainbows/Gay to Queer Lives’ Queerhenge Installation, Queer Cabaret and the S2R Rainbow Waiting Room will be open for scheduled visitations on June 19 and 20, 2021 at Arlington Street Church, through its 351 Boylston Street entrance. 

All interested parties must register in advance to book their 60 minute exhibit visit. Visitors will be allotted 40 minutes with the installation and up to 20 minutes in the S2R Rainbow Waiting Room, featuring a cash bar and other festival delights.

On Sunday, June 20, the single Queer Cabaret for this weekend’s showing will be performed live from 5pm- 6pm; a small audience will be welcomed into the Chapel Sanctuary for the performance, while others watch a livestream in the S2R Rainbow Waiting Room (please note selections carefully on the registration page).

For those who prefer to join virtually, a livestream of Sunday’s Queer Cabaret and a virtual tour of the installation will be available; please note this option on the registration page.

We will update our safety protocols frequently up until and through opening day. Capacity is limited, and masks are required for all audiences regardless of vaccination status.

Hours of visitation to Queerhenge:

June 19:  
4:30pm - 8:30pm
With S2R Rainbow Room open 4:00pm - 9:00pm

June 20:
2:30 - 7pm
With S2R Rainbow Room open 2pm- 6:30pm
And Queer Cabaret from 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Admission is free. Donations are welcome, and can be made via this link.

SCHEDULE YOUR VISIT HERE