005 → Get-Togethers & Gatherings I’ve Put On
“Finders Keepers” One-Night-Only Museum
A One-Night-Only Museum Made Up Entirely Of Stolen Objects; Curated by Miles Ellisor; Dec 3rd ‘24; held at The Living Gallery
“Finders Keepers” is a very real museum and should be viewed, treated and respected as such. It's got labels, lights, a white box for display, and ... stolen objects! Museums, art and science and history alike, have a nasty track record of acquiring their objects in more than questionable ways: flat- out stealing them, buying them from people who stole them, accepting donations without investigating how the donor acquired the object (they likely stole them), and buying them off of vulnerable communities.
Between the MET holding over 1000+ stolen objects in their displays and archives, the British Museum riding right alongside them with artifacts stolen from all over the world, and the fact that there are still over 110,000 Native American, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Natives' ancestors held in museums across the U.S., it's clear that stealing is in style. So, I just followed suit!
Thank you to my generous friends who had no choice but to comply with my museum: Benjamin Sun, Em Higgins, Paola Fernandez Chiu, Alex Chinn, Connor Yassing / E****e, Devika Menon, Josef Dunlap, Mandy Bell, Sasha Carney, Shannon McMahon, Anneliese Rodriguez, WNYU, and Zoe Avaraamides. Your contributions will do great things for all of mankind-surely.
To read all the wall labels and view moooore fotos and allllll that, click here
Shows 4 Bluekeys Magazine
Bluekeys may have done zines but we also did shows damn it. With the help of other Bluekeys people like Joaquin Lewis, Dillon Aitala, Hannah Fulkerson, Eisley Hull, Alexanna Kunik, Leighton Branaugh, Evan Campbell, and more, we had some great parties damn it.
Here are some notable events that I had a big hand in (in no specific order):
#1 Bluekeys Fest #1 (July ‘23 in Austin) This was definitely the biggest thing I’ve ever booked. It was a three day fest at The Factory on 5th, The Electric Church & Spiderhouse Ballroom. We had five bands, 5 vendors and 1 tattoo artist everyday. I booked the venues and most of the bands
#2 Bluekeys Film Fest (Oct ‘23 in Austin) A film fest for the youths!! All submission based. Held at AFS!
#3 Bluekeys Kickball Tournament (Aug ‘24 in Austin) Most absurd event we put on. I mostly just helped with ideas and putting the teams together. I also reffed the event, we had a whistle and a megaphone and a clipboard and everything!
#4 Issue 04 Release Party (March ‘23 in Austin) Probably the craziest show we had, with beautiful bill Party Van, Elegy & Die Spitz. Punk Rock 4 lyfe
#6 Bluekeys Fest #2 (Oct ‘24 in Brooklyn) Last Bluekeys show ever. At Sultan Room in Brooklyn, with Witches Exist & Catcher & Plastic & Local Weatherman
#7 Double-Feature Movie Night (June ‘23 in Austin) So fun! We watched House (1977) and Slacker (1990) in the Electric Church & it was so hot in there (June in Texas is no joke) but it was charming
#8 Fresh Meat Round 1 (May ‘23 in Austin) & Round 2 (July ‘24 in Austin) Bill of bands that have played 1 show or less!!! These were really crazy fun
#9 Prom with a Side of Jazz (April ‘23 in Austin) Beautiful night, that’s all. So much dancing. We also had titles of best dressed, best hair&makeup, best dance.
#10 A whole bunch of misc shows... I think we put on about 20-25 shows during our time. You can scroll our instagram if u so please
“FREE NOISE” Open Mics
FREE NOISE is an open mic series held at the Interference Archive in Brooklyn and features performances by trans, queer & non-binary artists. FREE NOISE #1 happened on May 3rd ‘25, FREE NOISE #2 is happening on June 27th ‘25.
The performances are recorded to cassette by yours truly and digitized by James McCarthy Walker! You can listen to FREE NOISE #1 viiiiia this link right here
For FREE NOISE #1, here’s who performed in the order that they performed:
Toni DeVincentis & Ranina Simon & Leo Almada-Makebish & Levi Langley & Abby Noble & Gianna Chae & Lynne Smith & James McCarthy Walker & Miles Ellisor & Winter Jung & Riannah Wallach & Hanne Brabander & Grace Conrad & Kai Slater & Arnaud Turner & Emerald Anastasia & Nona Poydras & Zamiya Jean.
The shows are pay-what-you-can but there is a suggested donation of $5. Half the proceeds go directly to the Archive, and half go to G.L.I.T.S. (Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society).
All flyers & photos below by me bee-tee-dubs
Zine workshops
I’ve held a couple zine workshops because the more people doing independent publishing, the better! Underground press is the freest of all.
#1 I helped organize an independent-learning zine workshop through Bluekeys in Ark Park in June ‘24, where we (as a team) printed out instructions for different binding techniques, laid out a bunch materials to use and blankets to sit on, then let people get to work!!!
#2 I held a zine workshop at the Run For The Hills Festival at the Prattsville Art Center in August ‘24. We did a brainstorming exercise that also taught people how to make a 8-page cut-and-fold zine. Then we combo’d ideas and made fun little miscellaneous zines! Absurd&Awesome.
#3 In my artistic activism research class, I co-organized with a classmate (who also is a crazy zinester: my Aussie love Maeve Sullivan) a two-day workshop (April&May ‘24) that started with a fun little brainstorming exercise that also again taught the cut-and-fold zine method. After everyone made their final spreads, I phone-scanned (just took a picture) them and arranged them onto a doc that could be printed, folded in half and stapled/sewed like more classic zines tend to do. We also had everyone get into groups and do exquisite corpses and then another classmate arranged them and carved a linocut plate that everyone printed their covers with! Finally I taught everyone to sew their zines together with yarn. Naturally, as it was our last class, we all signed “HAGS” in each other’s zines. It was freakin sweet.
Misc Shoooows
I Heart Music!!! 99% of the shows I was booking prior to this year were through Bluekeys, so this list is short...For Now >:)
*** Shannon and I book rock n roll shows together under the name Smiles Syndicate !