reflect / project July with Sav Rodgers

Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) is pleased to present the final artists in its reflect / project series, which features video work projected in person at M-AAA headquarters and through an online gallery with supplementary works chosen by the featured artist Sav Rodgers. Rodgers selected works by Madeline Holland and Hannah McBroom.

This month from July 2–31, artist Sav Rodgers of Olathe, Kansas, presents No Reason for Celebration, an archival documentary project that juxtaposes the early gay liberation movement with modern LGBTQ+ rights activism. Relying solely on the archival footage sourced by the filmmakers, this project highlights how trans people are often shunned from their own movements for the sake of “progress.” The sharp juxtaposition of these images promises to leave an impact that leaves viewers questioning, “What exactly have we been celebrating?”

Sav Rodgers is a filmmaker, writer, podcaster, film festival professional, and nonprofit executive. His work tends to center on the queer experience through a comedic or personal lens. He is the director of communications CHASING CHASING AMY, an upcoming feature documentary about the cultural impact of Chasing Amy (1997) on the greater LGBTQ+ community and the profound, lasting impression on his own life. For the work CHASING CHASING AMY, he was selected for one of M-AAA’s FY22 Artistic Innovations Grants. Rodgers also delivered a TED Talk on the subject titled, “The rom-com that saved my life” in 2018. In 2019, he received the Filmmaker of the Year Award at the Austin Revolution Film Festival.

Rodgers was selected from a competitive pool of applicants from across the six-state M-AAA region (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas). All in-person exhibitions will occur nightly at M-AAA headquarters, 2018 Baltimore in Kansas City, Missouri, from 6:00–10:00 p.m. The digital exhibition may be viewed here.

Please be advised. This work references acts of violence and contains adult language.