Artist Lineup & Schedule Set for The 10th Annual OUTsider Fest

Austin's premier transmedia nonprofit OUTsider has officially released the artist lineup and schedule for their 10th annual OUTsider Fest, happening Feb. 15 - 18, mainly taking place at The Vortex (located at 2307 Manor Rd. Austin, TX, 78722). The official programming can be seen below and on the festival website here. This special anniversary year's theme is "The Swish Up," an homage to the community's "limp-wristed," unruly and demonized 2SLGBTQIA+ ancestors, and encouragement to take some twists and risks, especially during the 10th year of the fest. You can expect many incredible performances from local and International Artists spanning the realms of performance art, theatre, music, and dance. General and student all-access badges are currently available for purchase here, and interested media can RSVP here. Donations to help support OUTsider can be made here.

As part of this year's festivities, OUTsider will be hosting a Local Legacy Party at Cheer Up Charlies (900 Red River St. Austin, TX 78701) on Friday, Feb. 16 from 9 - 11 p.m. The celebration is open to the public, festival goers, and performing artists alike to celebrate those performing this year as well as those who've performed in the past. Also, on the last day of the fest, Sunday, Feb. 18, there will be a closing party to conclude the festivities happening in the main tent at The Vortex with DJ and cultural promoter Mexican Jihad starting at 8 p.m. Another not-to-miss event will be the Early Career Retrospective that will honor El Paso-born, Oakland-based multimedia artist Xandra Ibarra, sharing a curated retrospective of her work on Saturday, Feb. 17 from 8:30 - 9:30 p.m.

"I am thrilled to be honored as this year's OUTsider's Early Career Retrospective Artist," said performer Xandra Ibarra. "A retrospective looks back, and I am looking at two decades of making art from the perspective of a 'bad object/subject,' an outsider...and I can't wait to celebrate being bad with Texas queers."

OUTsider is also proud to present their "Conference on the Couch" each year, which is once again being co-sponsored by LGBTQ Studies at The University of Texas Austin (UT) and generously supported by a Texas Humanities Grant. Curated by Co-Artistic Director Laura Gutiérrez, this special programming is an intimate, cozy discussion with a panel of speakers meant to make the space to discuss important topics affecting the LGBQT+ communities. There will be two total conference days this year, both taking place from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. The first will be on Friday, Feb. 16 and is entitled "Queer and Trans (Anti)Apocalypse and (Kill)Joy." This discussion will cover how queer joy could be the key to dealing with the immense amount of pain the queer community continues to experience, and how does one sustain that joy, even in the face of homophobia, transphobia, sexism, cis-heternonormativity, anti-Black and anti-indigenous violent practices. The second session will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17, and is entitled "Queer and Trans Choreographies/Cartographies." This session will explore the human body as a medium for self-expression and story-telling, what are the limits to expressing the queer experience on the body itself, can movement be used to shatter societal norms, and how queer bodies attach themselves to their environment?

OFFICIAL FEST SCHEDULE:

Thursday, March 15:

"Entre Despierto Y Dormido" with Rogelio Lopez, Kevin Gaytan & Matthew Han

7 - 8 p.m. @The Vortex Main Stage

"Good Pollution" by Perpetual Oyster

9 - 9:30 p.m. @The Vortex Main Stage

Friday, March 16:

Conference on the Couch (Session 1): "Queer and Trans (Anti)Apocalypse and (Kill)Joy"

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. @The OUThouse (interested media, please contact below for address)

"An Evening with Complicity Huffman" by Fargo Nissim Tbakhi

7 - 8 p.m. @The Vortex Main Stage

Legacy Award Ceremony & Opening Party

9 - 11 p.m. @Cheer Up Charlie's

Honoring Priscilla Hale, Sandra Martinez, Chale Nafus and Susan Post

Featuring Lavender Thug, Gothess Jasmine, Bobby Pudrido, Catalina La O, Nicotine, Gretchen Phillips, Kay Turner, and more

Saturday, March 17:

Conference on the Couch (Session 2): "Queer and Trans Choreographies/Cartographies"

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. @The OUThouse (interested media, please contact below for address)

"Trouble" by Ajani Brannum

3 - 4 p.m. @The Vortex Tent

"We Are (nothing) Everything" with Anya Cloud, Makisig Akin & Stevie Gunter

5 - 6 p.m. @The Vortex Main Stage

"The Lone Flamingo" by Aquarius Funkk

7 - 7:30 p.m. @The Vortex Tent

"No Exit!" Early Career Retrospective by Xandra Ibarra

8:30 - 9: 30 p.m. @The Vortex Tent

Sunday, March 18:

"Mirror Voxx" with Sofia Silueta & Isabella Vik

2:30 - 3 p.m. @The Vortex Main Stage

"Laman Haywan" by Artist-in-Residence, Mirrored Fatality

4 - 5 p.m. @ The Vortex Tent

"Bionic Dicks and Hyper Real Niggas: A Post Human and Ancient Sci-fi Aching" by M. Lamar

6 - 7 p.m. @The Vortex Main Stage

Closing Party with DJ Mexican Jihad

8 p.m. @The Vortex Tent

ABOUT OUTSIDER FEST:

OUTsider Fest has been a staple in the queer arts community of Austin since their first May Day Gay Day event back in May of 2014 at Austin's cherished queer venue Cheer Up Charlies. Since then, it has grown to become a five-day festival held at The Vortex, a year-round performance space for the community that honors the OUTsider Fest mission to create a safe space for art to be shared. In the past 10 years, OUTsider Fest has included performances from ground-breaking new artists and has paid tribute to those who are a true rock in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. SXSW 2019 showcase singer Black Eagle Scout, noted playwright and performer Jesús I. Valles, filmmaker Clement Goldberg, performance artists Nia & Ness, and Christeene the gutter-qween alongside DJ Bed Tundee are just a few of the incredible artists who have participated in years past. OUTsider Fest has also been at the forefront of bringing more International Artists to Austin with their yearly showcase. Artists like Filipino born Canadian author, artist & Professor Julius Poncelet Manapul, Australian performance artist Betty Grumble, and Mexican visual and performance artist Lechedevirgen Trimegisto have all taken part in the festival. This project is supported in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department, Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information about the team and OUTsider's incredible mission to make space for the queer community, see their website here.

ABOUT THE OUTSIDER FEST TEAM:

OUTsider Fest was established in January of 2014 by founder Curran Nault; an Artist, Author and Assistant Professor of Radio-TV-Film and Asian American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin (UT), who still acts as the festival's Co-Artistic Director. Curran has also been involved in The Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (aGLIFF) as Creative Director and as Co-Founder & Director of Programming for the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF). Co-Artistic Director alongside Curran is Laura Gutiérrez, an Associate Professor in Mexican American and Latinx Studies and Associate Dean for Community Engagement & Public Practice in the College of Fine Arts at UT. Another founding member of OUTsider Fest is Director of Operations, Bobette Mathis, who previously served as board member, secretary and President of aGLIFF between 1996-2005. Rounding out the incredible team making this year possible are OUTsider board President Sarah Schoonhoven, Media & Digital Archive Director PJ Raval, and Creative Designer Rolando Sepulveda.

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