Queer|Art, NYC’s home for the creative and professional development of LGBTQ+ artists, is pleased to reopen applications for two national grants: the Illuminations Grant for Black Trans Women Visual Artists, and the Barbara Hammer Lesbian Experimental Filmmaking Grant.
Judges for the 2025 Illuminations Grant include curator & writer Legacy Russell, community organizer, arts advocate, and producer Jordyn Jay, and interdisciplinary artist & independent curator Lee Laa Ray Guillory. Now in its fifth year, The Illuminations Grant sheds light on the under-recognized contributions of Black trans women visual artists and provides critical support to their continuing work. Developed and named in partnership with Mariette Pathy Allen, Aaryn Lang, and Serena Jara, this grant supports visual artists who are self-identified Black trans women and awards $10,000 to the winner and $1,250 to distinguished finalists. Learn more about the Illuminations Grant and meet the founding team at www.queer-art.org/illuminations-grant.
Judges for the 2025 Barbara Hammer Grant include interdisciplinary artist A.K. Burns, director, producer, and writer Cheryl Dunye, and interdisciplinary filmmaker Ela Troyano. Now in its seventh year, the Barbara Hammer Grant is an annual grant awarded to self-identified lesbians for making visionary moving-image art. The grant is supported directly by funds provided by the estate of legendary lesbian experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer (1939-2019). The grant includes an award of $5,000, and a series of individual studio visits with QA staff members and the grant’s judges in support of the winner’s creative and professional development. Learn more about the Barbara Hammer Grant at www.queer-art.org/hammer-grant.
Applications for both grants are open from March 31st, 2025 through July 2nd, 2025. Prospective applicants should review application requirements and apply directly through the Queer|Art website.
ABOUT THE 2025 ILLUMINATIONS GRANT JUDGES
Legacy Russell is a curator and writer. Born and raised in New York City, she is the Executive Director & Chief Curator of The Kitchen. Her academic, curatorial, and creative work focuses on gender, performance, digital selfdom, internet idolatry, and new media ritual. She is the recipient of the Thoma Foundation 2019 Arts Writing Award in Digital Art, a 2020 Rauschenberg Residency Fellow, a recipient of the 2021 Creative Capital Award, a 2022 Pompeii Commitment Digital Fellow, a 2023 Center for Curatorial Leadership Fellow, and a 2024-25 Lunder Institute for American Art Fellow. Her first book is Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto (2020). Her second book is BLACK MEME (2024).
Originally from Jacksonville, FL, Jordyn Jay (she/her) is a community organizer, arts advocate, and producer based in Brooklyn, NY. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Collective (BTFA). Before founding BTFA, Jordyn received her Master’s degree in Art Politics from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Jordyn is a firm believer in the power of art to inspire radical sociopolitical change and is dedicated to using that power for Black trans liberation.
Lee Laa Ray Guillory is a New Orleans-based interdisciplinary artist and independent curator whose work is grounded in her devotion to Black mysticism and photographic investigation of intersectional identity. Guillory inherited rituals of hair maintenance, oral mythologies, and alternative photographic practices, serving as the foundational elements of her work. Her multifaceted art making practice is incited by Louisiana’s religious history of European, Indigenous, and Afro-diasporic spiritual syncretization. Her interdisciplinary practice follows the tradition of art as ritual, with past works offering divination to the Mississippi River watershed, ancestral veneration via self portraiture, immersive photo-based installations, and spirit led photography.
rising indie artist Esme Bridie releases her highly anticipated second EP, Saviour Complex, a dynamic four-track collection that blends alternative instrumentals with infectious pop melodies. Led by the powerful and uplifting title track, the EP showcases Bridie’s empowering songwriting style, offering an energetic and emotionally charged listening experience.
Saviour Complex is available now on your streaming service of choice via APOLLO Distribution.
The sweeping folk anthems of Willem James Cowan have been capturing ears across eastern Canada since 2018. Across three releases and various singles, he has explored the uncharted corners of his soul and his sound, sometimes alone with a guitar and sometimes backed by a collective of musicians known as The Friends of the Cove. On the titular track of his 2022 full-length album Mourning in the Morningtime, Cowan sings that he is “out of thoughts and out of rhymes.” This is just one example of the stark vulnerability that characterizes his musical identity, even if it couldn’t be further from the truth. The lush instrumentation of Cowan’s production is always in service of soft-spoken truths and an eye to the future.
I’m Stonehocker and music heals me. Through honest writing of individual personal memoirs, I craft songs that explore and express the pain and joys of life.
In this post-pandemic society where mental health issues have become even more prevalent; my goal is to be open, honest and inspire people to have the courage for self-discovery.
My musical journey began in a small northern Alberta town and can be traced through the lyrics of the 4 full-length albums I’ve released. The early projects were recorded in the college studio where I also studied music production. Today the music finds life through the sparse home studio that has slowly come to be.
My vocals are the focal point of the show; complemented by acoustic guitar, underlined by minimalistic beats, and finally samples placed lightly throughout to highlight the alternative edge. All the samples come straight from the recorded music, making the shows custom and unique.
This latest production is the culmination of years of songwriting and many live shows. Throwing caution to the wind I’ve poured out my soul and committed everything to the goal of getting my music to those who want to listen.
Los Angeles-based post-punk band Agender share their biting, explosive third album, Berserk, out everywhere now. Alongside the album release, the group attempts to stay afloat in the black-and-white, stirring official music video for “Action Reaction.” Fierce and sharp, Berserk is a raw, unflinching commentary on an age dominated by hyper-information, capitalism, and self-improvement culture. Celebrate the album live in Los Angeles on March 28 at the official record release show at Zebulon with Muscle Beach and Allison Wolfe (DJ set), open to the public.
The long-awaited third album from the group is more than just a record—it’s a seismic eruption of punk that spits, snarls, and scratches at the raw nerve of contemporary existence. Over ten tracks produced by David Scott Stone (LCD Soundsystem) and lead singer, guitarist and primary writer Romy Hoffman, Berserk delivers the kind of eclectic, electric energy that traverses through the plains of pop-punk, post-punk, disco-punk, and schizo-synth-punk, and bites hard and fast, all while pushing the listener to confront the gnawing absurdity of living in the world today.
At its core, Berserk is a frenetic response to the shifting tides of life—an album that is unapologetically queer and embodies the chaos of an era where nothing feels stable, where the self is both the center of its own universe and being sucked into the disorienting orbit of a hyper-connected, hyper-consumptive culture. Hoffman says, “Everyone’s trying to improve, to ‘do the work,’ but the conundrum is: there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism. This album is a snapshot of that dilemma, wrapped in something catchy enough to make you want to dance–or scream–a solution.” Written before Trump’s second term and the fires that ravaged Los Angeles, the album remains relevant and timely, acting as a love letter to the city that built the band.
Also out today, “Action Reaction” offers a raw, introspective dive into the dichotomies of the human experience. Describing the track, Hoffman explains, “A slower, more spacious departure from previous singles, the track juxtaposes monotone verses with a sweeter, more melodic chorus—mirroring the push and pull of emotion and reason, of love and repulsion, hush and harsh, letting go versus holding on.”
“Love Comes & Goes” is the kind of song that opens up a conversation, where women can connect over their shared experiences and realize they’re not alone in the struggle. – Puma June
Puma June’s debut EP, A Woman That They Want, is a collection of songs exploring the complexity of self-love, vulnerability, and strength. It represents the journey of finding one’s place in a world that too often tries to shrink women into something less. From the heartbreak in “Love Comes & Goes” to the defiant strength in “My Body, My Problem,” the EP is a personal exploration of identity and autonomy.
I recorded this album in my under-the-stairs closet. I didn’t have the resources for a fancy studio, but I was determined to make something real and raw. I’ve learned to trust my gut through this process, and it’s taught me so much about who I am as an artist. – Puma June
Titanic’s End Records, the new label born from the iconic art car and community, unveils its first-ever release. “In Your Eyes” by JK, Arabic Piano, Orso, and featuring Grammy-nominated artist Maejor, is out now.
Bringing together an impressive roster of talent, “In Your Eyes” is a collaboration between JK (Titanic’s End co-founder and Twitch co-founder) Orso (JK and Stryv, co-writers of the viral hit “Move,” which has amassed over half a billion streams), Arabic Piano (South African producer known for his signature piano-driven house sound), and Grammy-nominated artist Maejor (whose credits include Justin Bieber and Martin Garrix).
“When I wrote this song, I was in a space of deep connection, wanting to capture that unspoken energy between two people. It’s about trust, surrender, and stepping into the unknown together, knowing that everything we need is already here. The lyrics came from a real place where time slows down, and all that matters is the present moment. I hope listeners feel that sense of stillness and possibility when they hear it.” — Maejor
“More than just music—it’s a soulful journey that soothes, uplifts, and immerses you in the energy of the African spirit.” — Arabic Piano
The Neighbourhood Watch’s story-driven blend of Folk and Indie Rock clearly touched a nerve when they released their album Community Protected (2017). The album was a kind of anthology: a collection of songs about the dissolution of family, the philosophical angst of turning seventeen, and what it feels like to get a bit too high for your own good. Without any sort of label or industry support, the album racked up 10 million+ streams and became the main soundtrack for the indie film Midnight at the Paradise (2022). The DIY release laid the groundwork for the band’s future success.
They followed this release with the albums Goodbye Childhood (2019) and Lost in
Bloom (2021). The records both honed in on the fear that often accompanies growing up—with songs about heartbreak, lost friendships, and the forced solitude of the COVID-19 pandemic. The albums received strong recognition, with features in the Toronto Star, blogTO, Exclaim!, and Indie88 contributing the albums’ 2 million + streams. More recently, the band’s song “20 Year Dream” was featured in a commercial for the international consulting company KPMG.
In their newest release, “Mr. Skin and Bones”, the Neighbourhood Watch take on questions about living through illness when you’re young, grieving the person you thought you’d become, holding family close, and appreciating the small things that add up to a meaningful life. Sonically, the band has blended the ambition of their last two albums with the grounded folk-rock of their first—interspersing the album with singer-songwriter tracks.
Slaughter Gang star 21 Lil Harold fuels his hot streak again today with the release of his new single and music video, “The Realest.” The inward-looking new song is available now. Stream it here.
Jane Doe is not your average band – not by a long shot. With an authentic sound woven from the milieu of rock and roll, the West Coast based Jane Doe is fronted by a defiant, opinionated but incredibly smart and compassionate woman, singing, screaming and messaging an entire generation of whom she’s connected to. Jane Doe’s National (US/CDN) campaign launched along with their debut album “Identified”, January 2019 and was mastered by none other than the legendary Howie Weinberg. With tunes like the brutally honest ‘Final Line’, epic throwbacks and homage tracks like ‘This is a Rock Song’, as well as the empowering ‘Scab’ and haunting ‘Scar Territory’, Jane Doe’s music has become part of a new multi-generational soundtrack.
Their sophomore album Found marks a new musical chapter for the band. Single “Dig a Grave” is a face-melting grunge rock anthem celebrating the dirty moodiness of the era. The song is shared alongside a cinematic music video. Helmed by an experience-meets-innovation father-daughter duo, the visual is heavily inspired by Stanley Kubrick with its vibrant visuals, dark thematic undertones and sardonic bite.
Then there is “Atlas”, which features rolling drums, dynamic power chords, and deeply intense evocative vocals that fuse together for a vortex of magnetic ferocity. Frontwoman Izzy Kay adds, the song is “inspired by the music that came before us, laced with sarcastic lyrics, and ever-dedicated to carry the torch of rock n’ roll.”
Above all else, Jane Doe is the generation that doesn’t fit a specific mold. Jane Doe is a square peg in a round hole. Jane Doe is the wave of people who identify with the past but shape the future.
https://www.instagram.com/officialjanedoe
https://twitter.com/janedoe_band
https://www.tiktok.com/@janedoeandboogie
https://www.facebook.com/JaneDoeRocks
Email:neill@outloudculture.com
