Moving Queer Community to Virtual Space During COVID-19: Lessons from Stay Gold

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced museums to shut their doors in 2020, the Stay Gold program at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson faced a critical decision. As an intergenerational arts education program fostering queer community, Stay Gold provided a vital space for LGBTQIA+ youth and elders to share experiences and create art collaboratively. With in-person meetings no longer possible, program leaders pivoted in under a month to create Stay Gold: Digital, an innovative virtual model to preserve this vulnerable community during quarantine.

This presentation will explore how Stay Gold maintained its “queered” emphasis on shared power, accessibility and skill-building in the transition to remote sessions on Zoom. Attendees will learn the thoughtful solutions Stay Gold implemented, such as using contemporary art prompts, giving participants a week for open-ended projects, embracing Zoom’s flexibility, publishing a culminating zine, and prioritizing intentional personal engagement. Despite challenges like lack of art materials and technology barriers, the virtual program surprisingly allowed for even more meaningful self-expression and community bonding.

Beyond reviewing Stay Gold’s successes, this talk will examine the value of “queering” educational spaces, advocating for meaningful staff representation, and fostering an institutional culture of creative problem-solving – all factors allowing Stay Gold and MOCA Tucson to thrive during an immensely difficult year for arts organizations. This inspirational case study reminds us of museums’ power to adapt and stay relevant to the communities they serve, even under the most daunting circumstances.

Veneranda Aguirre

Veneranda Aguirre

M.S. Museums and Digital Culture
Veneranda (Vene) Aguirre is an Arizona/Sonora (Mexico) native and a versatile storyteller who seamlessly blends her diverse backgrounds in law, visual arts, and museum studies. Currently a Museums and Digital Culture M.S. student at Pratt Institute, she is exploring museum education and exhibition strategies that create accessible experiences that spark critical thinking and emotional intelligence. Her innovative approach draws from her legal expertise, creative visioning abilities, and skills as a public speaker and visual artist. Through authentic storytelling, Vene brings important narratives to life in captivating ways.
Veneranda Aguirre

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