Queer Ecologies II

Saturday, March 21 through Saturday, May 2, 2026

Queer Ecologies II brings together twenty Queer artists from the Midwest whose practices engage with their ecological counterparts. This second iteration, a collaboration between The Waiting Room in Kansas City and Purple Window Gallery in Chicago, builds upon an ongoing dialogue about the interdependent relationships between humans, the more-than-human world, and wildborn Queerness in our region.

The artists in this exhibition celebrate their connections to the Midwest, their distinct Queer identities, and the larger ecological webs of which they are a part. Working across a wide range of media including bioplastic, photography, fiber, zines, ceramics, recycled waste, video, natural pigments, and glass, the artists explore collaboration beyond the human. Together, their works broaden perceptions of Queerness in middle America and highlights inspiration found in the non-human, offering alternatives to dominant, human-centered narratives.

At a time when anti-LGBTQ+ hate and censorship are rising across the United States, the exhibition creates space for Queer artists to be visible, supported, and in community. Joy is central to this project. In a cultural climate marked by hostility and erasure, Queer joy becomes both sustenance and resistance.

Queer Ecologies II, curated by Bianca Brandolino, Lily Erb, Maven Kennedy, and SK Reed, embodies a deeply queer ethos: building the communities we seek beyond traditional structures and imagining more expansive, interconnected futures.

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CURATORIAL TEAM
Bianca Brandolino, Lily Erb, Maven Kennedy, and SK Reed

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Bianca Brandolino (they/them), Maya Davis (she/they), Lily Erb (them/them), Eve Gordon (she/they), Naomi Hamlin-Navias (they/them), Kate Humphrey (she/her), Missy IsaMoore (she/her)—part of Petals & Iron Collective, Linye Jiang (she/her), Katie Kaplan (she/her), Maven Kennedy (they/them), Justin Korver (he/him), Calder Kamin (she/her), Emily Mulvaney (she/her/they), David Nasca (he/him), Lucas Nguyen (they/them), SK Reed (they/them), Oona Taper (she/her), Exer Thurston (they/them), Kellen Wright (she/her), Eli Brown (they/he)

COVER IMAGE

Katie Kaplan, Sunshine and Shadow, 2024. 63 in x 63 in. Screenprint and monoprint on fabric, dye, batting