On Saturday, March 28, 2026 from 2-3:30 p.m. at Chicago’s MCA, several short films were shown, including Stephanie Coleman’s 1992 film, Having a Ball! with the House of Avant Garde.
Attendees were invited to explore another facet of queer life via a collection of short films and national broadcasts, curated in conjunction with the exhibition City in a Garden. This screening highlighted Chicago’s LGBTQ+ history, including SPEW, the first queer zine fest held in the United States, drag queen and activist Joan Jett Blakk who ran for mayor, Chicago’s first ballroom house, and more.
Films Shown
- Joan Jett Blakk: Queer Nation’s Candidate for President, 1992 (1991), Bill Stamets (watch on MediaBurn)
- Much handled things are always soft (2019), Derrick Woods-Morrow
- Hokey Sapp Does SPEW (2022), Mary Patten
- Jollies (1990), Sadie Benning
- The AIDS Connection: Hour V (1987), broadcast on ABC (watch on MediaBurn)
- Kissing Doesn’t Kill (1990), Tom Kalin and Gran Fury (watch on YouTube)
- Having a Ball! with the House of Avant Garde (1992), Stephanie Coleman (watch on MediaBurn)
For more details about the screening, please visit visit.mcachicago.org/events/screening-scenes-from-the-city-in-a-garden. For info about the City in a Garden exhibition, go to visit.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/city-in-a-garden-queer-art-and-activism-in-chicago.
Scenes from the City in a Garden was organized by Korina Hernandez, Curatorial Assistant.
