A Conspiracy of Strange Girls: An interview with Rhys Jones

When I started this article, I was hopeful. The sad thing is, it was a naive sense of hope. I truly thought we were progressing as a nation. We were talking about queer politics; trans and genderqueer were actual words that someone besides my small queer family were using; we elected our first Somali-American legislator; healthcare was a conversation; women's issues were back on the table as valid, indiscriminate rights. But it was all a sham. And despite a valiant effort, us “strange” humans could not band together and fight against a misogynistic, xenophobic, homophobic, Islamophobic racist.

 

And I'll admit, I didn't want to write this article. I didn't think it mattered anymore. I mean, what does feminism — art feminism — even look like in this country now? But I awoke Thursday morning to an email in my inbox from Rhys Jones, the founder and organizer of A Conspiracy of Strange Girls, that said "I just want to add that this morning, many CSG members are a) turning to our group for support and b) feeling even more strongly about that show in light of the fact that America just elected a literal fucking serial rapist.” And I realized that the only thing we as artists, curators, musicians, and creatives can do in this time of infinite sadness is be more radical, to intentionally hold space for one another, to support one another's aberrancy, to remember that marginalized people are not expendable, to speak out and cry out even if our voice is a mere whisper. So, here's to that whisper, may it carry us until it can be stronger in this blanket of darkness.

 

Rhys Jones, Strange Girl

 

This weekend marks the launch party for the newly-formed creative collective and arts organization that creates and promotes creative work by, for, and about “Strange Girls.” I caught up with Rhys (before the election) to talk about why creating a safe space in the art world is now more crucial than ever.

 

JE: A Conspiracy of Strange Girls collective emerged as kind of an evolution to 2015's group art show, Strange Girls Never Die. Why the decision to make it into a more permanent arts organization than say, an annual running art show? 

 

Rhys Jones: After the huge response to the Strange Girls show last year, two things happened: first, I met even more kickass strange girls and my network expanded big time; and second, I got feedback from folks who came to the opening that was overwhelmingly positive across the board, and it dawned on me how great and potentially earth-shattering it would be to bring all of that together and create a real community. I sat on it for awhile though, and didn’t really jump into action until late summer. One of my best friends was visiting from New York and gave me a talking-to for not having done anything with Strange Girls since the show (we’re each other’s tough love cheerleaders) — and that day a fire was lit under my ass, and I finally started telling people about this collective I’d been dreaming about. While I’m sure an annual stand-alone show would still be tons of fun and reach a lot of people, creating this community has way, way bigger potential.

 

JE: The word "strange" may still be seen by some as a quality or an aesthetic that sets people apart from the "norm” in a pejorative way. In this context, the collective appears to be in the process of reclaiming the word as a more powerful and progressive designation. How does this reclaiming play into the collective's mission? 

 

RJ: I think the simple answer here is that our collective members embrace their strangeness, celebrate those differences, and understand it as a part of who we truly are — and who we are is reflected in our work. So many people who I’ve met through this have told me that they’ve genuinely identified as strange girls for a long time but didn’t know that others did as well. My ma always said “You’re a strange little girl” to me (affectionately, I swear) when I was a kid, so I guess I started young. We’re all strange here, and that’s a good thing.

 

The thing about artists/creative folks is that we all know a gang-load of other artists and creative folks — and Strange Girls always know a gang-load more Strange Girls. I started by talking to artists who I knew would be into it (most of whom had art in last years Strange Girls show) first, and then branching out to people I knew less well, then all of them started recruiting, and on and on. Much though I love my friends, I certainly didn’t want CSG to just be the Rhys’s Friends Club (that would be an awesome club though, I keep good people). Just in the few short months since I officially started this, I’ve met so many incredibly talented Strange Girls who I might not otherwise have connected with, and it just keeps expanding.

Beyond member-to-member recruitment, I also plan on reaching out to the out-of-state artists who showed work in Strange Girls Never Die last year, as well as others who I’ve met along the way. One of my dreams for CSG is working with artists/makers/gallery owners/organizers in other cities around the country to co-curate Strange Girls shows in their cities — I’ve got leads in New Orleans, Chicago, Brooklyn, Richmond, and Oakland so far, and I can’t fully express how excited I am at the potential for those projects. 

 

 

JE: Though Minneapolis is home to many art spaces run and operated by women, it's rare to see a female-dominated or femme-only art exhibit. Why do you think there's a shying away of this kind of show, and how can we as a community collaborate with more cis women, femmes, non-binary, trans, and genderqueer artists in a way that feels genuine and supportive while closing the gap?

 

RJ: For me it comes down to the idea of intentionally holding space for and creating community with women/trans/femme and queer folks, something that still feels uncomfortable for some people. “Equality” doesn’t just mean 50/50 representation in all groups/spaces/institutions, but also that exclusively WTF groups are just as important and necessary as any other and we’re allowed to create our own communities, networks, and support systems.  It’s also important to me that we’re organizing around a framework of support and collaboration rather than treating everything as a competition. And there really is strength in numbers.

 

JE: The conversation in the local scene surrounding a "safe" space for musicians and venue-goers has been a long-running one, but in the arts scene I feel like it's less talked about. How do you think we can open up the conversation to include more voices and to help more art spaces establish an identity of being supportive and respectful zones?

 

RJ: This is a little difficult for me to fully answer because I’m such a damn homebody, but I will do my best.  Like you, I’ve experienced my share of art-bro-ism in galleries and venues — it’s the same macho garbage, just with tighter jeans and different cigarettes. I like the Afro Punk model of posting huge signs at their events with a list of bullshit that is not welcome at the event (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, etc). We can’t necessarily make you not be an asshole in the rest of the world, but we can name what won’t fly in our own spaces — and if you don’t like it, I hope the door doesn’t hit you on the way out. I’ve heard people argue against attempts at creating safer spaces by saying “Well, the world isn’t safe,” as if that somehow negates the need for such spaces. If the rest of the world isn’t and will never be truly “safe” for a lot of people, why on earth wouldn’t we create places and groups where we can find refuge?    

 

JE: In a traditional art gallery style show, we often get lost in the visuals of a certain piece and forget the time consuming effort and vision it took to create such artwork. For this event, you're ditching the traditional, and instead members of the collective will be creating new, original pieces live within the space. What sparked the idea for live art-making and what can attendees expect during the creation process? 

 

RJ: I am a huge process nerd. I love seeing other people’s studios/workshops and practices, and seeing how they specifically do things. Sometimes artists do this at open studio events — let people see the magic happen — and I wanted to take that and expand upon it. I also think that letting people really see the work being created helps contribute to the respect of creative labor and art-making. And it offers sooo many opportunities for people to nerd out about different art forms, creative processes, aesthetics, equipment, etc… and I love that. I’m also very interested in deviating from what an art show “has to” look like. The other aspect of this that I’m really into is that for things like the pewter pouring, tshirt printing, and leather tooling, those are all processes that are often completely foreign to the average person and, beyond just being something interesting to look at, can be legit learning opportunities.  

 

 

Our co-conspirators (aka attendees) can expect to see the creation of two large scale paintings (by Ivy Sendrijas of Dim Media, Martzia Thometz, and Marika Paumen; and Joy Spika and Katrina Knutson); wonder over molten metal at the live pewter pouring station (Jess Bergman Tank & Samantha Leopold-Sullivan); have a custom printed tshirt made right in front of them (Kara Faye Gregory); see the process that goes into embellishing leather (Lauren Roberts); get hands-on with our interactive installation/performance piece being built specially for this event (Mary Allen and Nicole Simpkins); see video from 7 members of Creepy Girl Travels Society from all around the world also creating new work from afar (Allison Landers); and get $5/5 minutes portraits drawn on the spot (Lucie Biros and Claire Ward).

 

JE: The launch also includes performances by Star Child, OAKS, royal brat, Queenie von Curves, and Penny Dreadful. What about these local acts embodies the Strange Girls mindset?

Rhys: Both Queenie and Penny are CSG members (both recruited by other members) — Queenie will be performing a burlesque routine and Penny will be performing an aerial silks piece. Star Child (Mary Allen and Joy Spika) and OAKS (Erica Krumm) have CSG members as well, and royal brat was recruited by members. We’re a big, multi-talented family.

 

JE: The launch doubles as sort of a fundraiser also for the collective to get off the ground and you'll be selling/releasing collective-designed mini prints, stickers, t-shirts, and more. What will these extra funds help the collective accomplish in the future? 

 

We’ve got big dreams. We’ve got shows we’re starting to plan for the winter, spring, and summer and would love to work toward a Strange Girls music festival and Halloween Ball. We’re planning to have presences at local art fairs and makers markets in the warmer months and will be continuing to release limited edition prints, tshirts, etc… Bringing Strange Girls to other cities is a really exciting, though not terribly cheap, prospect. And another big part of the CSG masterplan is to create a Strange Girls mentorship program, connecting collective members and the next generation of creative Strange Girls. We’re also hoping to team up with other local women/queer focused/owned groups, businesses, teams, etc for events of all sorts all over the cities.

 

JE: With over 60 inaugural members, it's no surprise that each comes from a variety of creative backgrounds: visual art, tattooing, music, performance, craft, even arts organizing. Nicole Sara Simpkins is a local visual artist and printmaker who has printed an autobiographical tarot card set and produced some really cool punk flyers. Annabombb is an acrylic painter whose art is centered around body positivity. Marika Paumen is a multi-media artist exploring the psychological phenomenon of Pareidolia within her art. Remedy Rook is a tattoo apprentice, musician, and self-proclaimed biophilic. What is it about this collective that inspires such a diversity within its members? Why do they find this space to be so welcoming? 

 

Rhys: I definitely made it a point to recruit all sorts of creators — I think expanding our membership beyond traditional fine arts gives the group an incredible breadth of talent, skill sets, practices, experiences, and ideas and makes us all push ourselves to do bigger and radder things. Members have the opportunity to push and develop their own practices and work with other artists and makers, collaborate with each other on new work, swap skill shares, get feedback/critique on works in progress, barter/trade, and our collective network for resources and promotion is many times greater as a group. Seeing friendships and collaborations coming out of CSG meetings, events, and online spaces is really my favorite thing and warms the ashes in my cold, dead heart. It’s why I wanted to bring this group together in the first place — I just want there to be more rad shit in the world, and this group is bursting at the seams with that.

--Juleana Enright
 

A Conspiracy of Strange Girls Launch Event is Saturday, November 12^th, from 6 to 10pm at CO Exhibitions Gallery in Minneapolis. The event is one night only. Learn more about CSG at strangegirls.org, and see Rhys’s work at lowwbones.com.

Cover Image Credit: Birdskull Photography/Maddie Wiberg