As the school year begins and club meetings commence, so do the events. Act Out, Fort Hamilton’s GSA (Gay Straight Alliance), has collaborated with the Alice Austen House’s LGBTQ+ Photographic Storytelling Program.
The Alice Austen House is a museum in Staten Island designed to teach about the life of Alice Austen, a lesbian American photographer known for her intimate depictions of the lives of Victorian women and her street photography. This program is offered as an in-school program and as a class at the official museum, a NYC historically-designated landmark, for GSAs.
According to Mx. Crimmins, the advisor of Act Out, the program that the students are taking part in “explores LGBTQ+ storytelling through creativity, queer history, modern and contemporary art and Alice Austen’s life and photography.” The students were also involved in creating zines with disposable cameras, according to Elliot Crane, the president of Act Out. These zines have surrounded whatever theme or topic the students choose. Crane also noted that students have been able to develop new skills related to photography and art as a result of this program.
Other students in Act Out similarly expressed their enjoyment. Agatha Kaschei, a junior and member of Act Out, noted that she enjoyed the zine-making process most of all.
“I’m very appreciative that this program creates the space and provides the materials for students to experiment with all sorts of mediums,” she said. “What I learned from this program was the importance of zines, and how they are made to be an inexpensive and accessible art medium for all. Even after this program ends, I still want to try creating zines and see what I can improve on from creating them.”
Mx. Crimmins appreciates the opportunities this program affords LGBTQ+ students at Fort Hamilton.
“I believe that the best part of this program is being able to do something new together, to create together in a structured way,” Mx. Crimmins said. “At the end of the program, we will take another trip to the Alice Austen House museum.”
As part of its next steps, the club has already been reaching out to other GSAs at other high schools, such as the High School of Telecommunications Arts and Technology, planning events with them. Moreover, in December, students will be completing a presentation dedicated to the history of ACT UP, the historical queer rights organization founded as a result of the AIDS crisis which will be open to staff and students alike.
