NYCMER Queer Peers Group Meeting

Queer Peers has regular meetings, starting with LGBTQ History Month in October and ending with Pride Month in June.

Join this meeting on Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 for a special, free presentation by NYCMER member Paul VanDeCarr.

February Meeting Agenda:

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Practice time for anyone interested in NEMPN Museum Workers Advocacy Day on Friday and Saturday, March 14-15, 2025. Contact NEMPN Director of Advocacy, Margaret Sheble, PhD at advocacy@nationalempnetwork.org. (Also a NYCMER Queer Peers member).

3. Guest Speaker: Paul VanDeCarr

Paul VanDeCarr spent over 1,000 hours in recent years looking at every single object on display at the Met Museum. Every cup, every plate, every painting, every sculpture, every fragment of glass or ceramics. Everything. The result of his wanderings is an independent project called “50 Ways to Look at the Met.” The project consists of slideshows on 50 different themes, featuring artworks from the Met, and including questions, activities, and other materials for educators everywhere. Learn more at www.paulvdc.com/50ways. More downloads, videos, tours, and other resources to come.

In this presentation, Paul will give you an overview of the project, present a few themes in detail — including his queer eye for the Met — and show how it can be used. We’ll also have an open discussion about how you can adapt some of the ideas here to your own work. Paul is eager to learn from museum educators, and is open to doing projects with the Met or other museums.

CONTACT PAUL VANDECARR: Email paulvdc@gmail.com. Instagram @paulvdc. Web www.paulvdc.com/50ways.

Queer Peers seeks to provide a safer, braver space for LGBTQ+ museum educators, museum workers, and museum professionals. This NYCMER Peer Group is for connecting and networking, sharing ideas and best practices, building community, and developing programming about/for the LGBTQ+ community within museums and cultural institutions.

Monthly meetings are held at the Center for Jewish History. Since meetings are held after-work hours, attendees may bring food and drinks; however, attendees must clean up after themselves to be respectful of our host institution.

Sign up here to stay informed about NYCMER Queer Peers meetings and events.

For more information, please email Roberto Chavez, the NYCMER Peer Group Leader for Queer Peers.