Henry Street Settlement opens doors of opportunity for Lower East Side residents and other New Yorkers through social service, arts, and health care programs.
Queer Artist/Activists of the Lower East Side, 1960-2000
Join us as we spend the 2026 season remixing our walking tours of the Lower East Side and the East Village! On our first tour offering this season, we will look at many influential queer artist/activists of the late 20th century on the Lower East Side – including Martin Wong, Miguel Piñero, Jack Smith, Mario Montez, Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, and the Gran Fury collective.
These artist/activists were deeply connected to the Lower East Side, and their work stands on the sometimes uneasy, sometimes joyful intersection of artistic creativity and political action. On our tour, we’ll discuss questions that these luminaries’ lives and works provoke: Is art made by queer artists always political? Would we even want it to be? Who is the audience for queer art?
The tour will begin at Henry Street Settlement’s Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street, a community arts space with a 110-year history of art and activism.
Upcoming Tour dates:
- Saturday, April 4, 11 a.m.
- Sunday, April 26, 11 a.m.
- Sunday, May 24, 11 a.m.
Click here to purchase your tickets!
About Close Friends Collective
Close Friends Collective is a group of educators, historians, and artists with a passion for teaching queer history. Since 2021, Close Friends Collective has led queer history walking tours of the Lower East Side and the East Village in partnership with Henry Street Settlement.
Queer History Walking Tour, 2024. Photos by Anna Gardner.
