On September 21st, Katherine E. Nash Gallery hosted the opening of Queer Forms, a multidisciplinary group exhibition and series of public programs that investigate and celebrate the history, politics and culture of LGBTQ+ Liberation across a range of artistic forms and perspectives. Queer Forms coincides with the anniversary of these important historical markers in the history of LGBTQ+ Liberation: the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of FREE (Fight Repression of Erotic Expression), a Gay student organization at the University of Minnesota, and the Stonewall Rebellion in New York in 1969; and the sixtieth anniversary of the resistance to police harassment of LGBTQ+ people at Cooper Do-nuts in Los Angeles in 1959. The exhibition includes an original mural painted by Alex Petersen, commissioned by the Katherine E. Nash Gallery.

That evening, Twin Cities-based Queer Hmong French American multidisciplinary artist Oskar Ly presented a new collection of her original fashion designs. Founded in 2006, Os. Couture combines Oskar’s passion for fashion, art and culture. From conceptual to wearable art pieces, Oskar’s designs are centered on the intersections of Hmong culture. Oskar is a pioneer in the Hmong American fashion movement pushing Hmong aesthetics and cultural innovation.

Check out the galleries below of my time documenting Oskar’s latest line behind the scenes all the way to the runway: