We invite you to experience a ritualistic performance by multidisciplinary artist Jacob Budenz that serves as a queer apology for the divine masculine. Their performance will activate and challenge the relationship between Medieval representations of Christian European patriarchal figures and representations of the Earth as mother in the light of the escalating climate crisis and the advent of American imperialism.

Following the performance, engage in a conversation between Budenz and Christine Sciacca, Curator of European Art, 300-1400 CE, as they explore intersections of queerness and mysticism that have inspired work across Budenz’s practice.

Content warning: This program involves mature content, including sex, relationship violence, and abuse. Please contact our Public Programs team at [email protected] if you have questions.

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Queering the Collection is an in-gallery program series that invites artists and scholars to participate in conversations that connect queer-identifying perspectives with artistic and art-historical knowledge about works in our collection. Speakers will discuss works of art in our galleries, followed by a Q&A session.

Available Resources: Assistive Listening Devices, Seating, Sensory Kits

Accessibility resources and accommodations are available for programs and events. Please email [email protected] with questions and requests. We will make every effort to provide accommodations. Visit our accessibility webpage for more information on accessibility across the museum.

About the Artist
Jacob Budenz is a queer author, educator, multi-disciplinary performer, and witch with a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MFA from the University of New Orleans. Budenz’s work explores the intersection of human otherness and the otherworldly. The author of queer magic realist short story collection Tea Leaves (Amble Press, 2023) and poetry chapbook Pastel Witcheries (Seven Kitchens Press, 2018), Budenz has published fiction and poetry in print journals including Slipstream and Assaracus; zeitgeisty online journals including Taco Bell Quarterly and Wussy Mag; and lauded anthologies by Mason Jar Press, Unbound Edition, and more. A 2019 Baker Innovative Projects Grant winner, Budenz’s performance and theater work has been praised in BmoreArt, the Baltimore Sun, City Paper, and more, and their original play, Simaetha: a Dreambaby Cabaret, played to sold-out houses in the historic Carroll Mansion in early 2020. You can follow their work on Instagram (@dreambabyjake) or their psychedelic pop band, Moth Broth (@mothbrothband), or find them at jakebeearts.com.