Out of the blue last month, I got an e-mail from Alex Erikson, an editor at Next Magazine, New York City’s premier glossy gay weekly, with a circulation in the tens of thousands.  He wanted to do a feature on art exhibits of interest to the gay community, and he asked if I could recommend some exhibits.  He sure came to the right person – that’s literally what I do with my life!  I wrote up my current picks, got Alex in contact with a gallery willing to send photos of its extraordinary December show of a gay Canadian artist, and the result is a FABULOUS full-page feature in Next Magazine’s current issue, that came out this past Friday!  It’s on page 28.

The timing for my next LGBT gallery tour on Sat. Dec. 17 couldn’t be better.  So many gay people read Next Magazine that it’s going to ensure LOTS of socializing opportunities on this coming tour with first-time attendees.  I’ve always considered my LGBT tour to be two things: an opportunity to experience the planet’s freshest, most exceptional gay art, AND a unique venue to meet interesting, friendly (and sexy) arts-oriented queers.

For those of you who lean more toward the social side of my tours, you’ll never be happier than on the Dec. 17 tour, what with the influx of all the Chelsea art virgins we’re gong to have.  And for those of you who are more interested in the art, here are the highlights of my Dec. 17 tour: (1) homoerotic nude drawings of St. Sebastian, considered the patron saint of gays, (2) a Black lesbian artist who constructs “tar babies” using real tar, and (3) gay artist Marc Yankus, who will speak to our group when we visit his photography show.  These are just 3 of 7 exhibits we’ll visit.

This is the best publicity in a gay publication I’ve gotten since I stopped writing art reviews for the New York Blade, when it folded a couple of years ago.  I’ve let Alex know that he can use my expertise any time he wants to do another fine art “round-up” in Next Magazine.  So there may be more queer glossy magazine features to come!

Rafael Risemberg, Ph.D.
Founder and Director
New York GalleryTours