Queer Ecology Printing Workshop - LGBTQIA+ YOUTH with Saxon Anderson

with Saxon Anderson (he/him)
Part of the 0–99: The Art of a Rainbow Life — Still Here, Still Becoming Workshop Series

Join us for an immersive printmaking workshop exploring the vibrant and expansive world of Queer Ecology through the art of relief printing. Together, we’ll examine how queerness exists throughout the natural world and use printmaking as a tool for storytelling, visibility, and creative expression.

Queer Ecology is a way of understanding nature, biology, and sexuality through the lens of queer theory. It challenges the idea that heterosexuality and cisgender identity are the “default” in nature, instead highlighting the diversity and fluidity that already exists across ecosystems and species.

Throughout the workshop, participants will learn about animals whose behaviors and lifecycles reflect queer concepts, including clownfish, wrasses, earthworms, frogs, lions, penguins, albatrosses, gorillas, geese, giraffes, and dolphins. These examples help remind us that queerness is not outside of nature — it is deeply embedded within it.

Participants will also be introduced to the history and techniques of relief printing, one of the oldest forms of printmaking dating back to 5th century China and later flourishing in Europe and Japan through traditions like Ukiyo-e woodcuts.

Using rubber carving mats and gouges, attendees will create their own two-part relief print consisting of:

• A primary line-art print
• A secondary layered color print

This workshop is open to all ages and experience levels, inviting participants to carve, print, learn, and reflect together in an inclusive and creative environment.

Topics explored include:

• Queerness in nature
• Printmaking history
• Relief carving techniques
• Layered color printing
• Art as education and advocacy

No prior printmaking experience required. Materials provided.

Additional reading:

• Britannica: Woodcut Printmaking
• Climate Culture: What is Queer Ecology?
• Wikipedia: Queer Ecology

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Harvey Milk Festival DBA Fabulous Arts Foundation