Queer Spectra Arts Festival is a Salt Lake City-based n
onprofit dedicated to showcasing multidisciplinary artistic expressions fr
om diverse LGBTQIA+ perspectives. The Festival Organizing Team includes Tori Meyer and Rae Luebbert. The 8th Annua
l Festival is coming up on May 14&ndash\;16\, 2026 at the Sorenson Unity C
enter exploring the theme "Troubling the Lines." The call for submissions
for the 2026 Festival is open now through March 13th.
Serenity Renegade is a music/performance pr
oject created by Kade Bliss\, a local trans artist and ac
tivist. This project is a practice in embodying love and gentle fortitude
in the face of personal hardship\, horrific global crises\, and a future t
hat seems uncertain at best and apocalyptic at worst. The Serenity Renegad
e discography explores themes of abuse\, grief\, loss\, and fear through a
carefully crafted lens that transforms pain into a heroic journey full of
ups and downs\, culminating in a joy that refuses to be tamed. The pieces
that will be performed are Shadows (the first song of the projec
t\, rarely played live) and God aka All of Us (the capstone of Se
renity Renegade&rsquo\;s most recent release: the Home album). From the fi
rst aching cry for a better life to a triumphant celebration of the love e
xperienced along the way\, Serenity Renegade ventures into the depths of t
he human heart and encourages audiences to join a softer kind of revolutio
n\; one where we get to revel in the freedom we gain by truly connecting w
ith ourselves\, each other\, and the world.
< br />Subject To Change is Jade&rsquo\;s first film &mdash\; writt en\, shot\, and edited by them. This film is an experimental documentary e xploring their journey of thinking they didn&rsquo\;t want top surgery to realizing they do want it. Subject To Change is an emotional medi tation\, a philosophical adventure\, it&rsquo\;s one person&rsquo\;s spiri tual movement from &lsquo\;no&rsquo\; to &lsquo\;yes&rsquo\;.
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Jade Swayne is a Black\, Queer\, Trans\, Non-binary art
ist. Ever eager to transform whatever's around into a work of self express
ion\, they have always sought to create. Whether it's as a writer\, public
speaker\, curator\, or filmmaker Jade seeks to guide others towards curio
sity\, expansion\, honesty\, and self expression.
"Tuesday as an Apparition explores my time as a partner
and daily resident in the 'limbo dreamland' of Transitioning. Daydreaming
has allowed my current self to witness and embody a future\, intangible v
ersion of self\, offering hope and patience amid constant barriers. Though
this self exists in my head\, it is rarely private\, as others at varying
levels of relational proximity &mdash\; from strangers to chosen family &
mdash\; experience and build their own versions of Transitioning Mads. Thi
s visibility has felt affirming yet exposing\, timely yet premature\, and
necessary yet dangerous. In this work\, I use movement and physical worldb
uilding to explore these facets of visibility through my experience with m
utual apparitional love: T4T (trans-for-trans) partnership."
Mads Ward (they/them/theirs)\, moved to Salt Lake City\,
Utah\, from North Carolina in 2020 to pursue a career in classical ballet
. Desiring more autonomy and community connection beyond traditional perfo
rmance\, Mads stepped into the worlds of contemporary dance\, multidiscipl
inary creation\, and improvisational practice (@madsismoving) in 2022. Since then\, they have
enjoyed working as a freelance performer and choreographer\, collaborating
with other local multidisciplinary artists and organizations to produce i
nstallations\, films\, theatre performances\, visual art pieces\, and more
\, often exploring narrative themes of identity and becoming. Mads is a cu
rrent member of Fleet Cooperative. Alongside their creative practice\, Mad
s conducts qualitative research in urban design and planning and will comp
lete their Honors B.S. in Urban Ecology and Sociology at the University of
Utah in May 2026.
12 Minutes Ma
x is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and colleague Pau
l Reynolds: artist\, librarian\, and patron of the arts. The 12 Minutes Ma
x program is a curated monthly performance series featuring experimental s
hort works by local artists in many different disciplines\, including danc
e\, music\, film\, and more. Each piece is followed by a Q&\;A with the
artist. 12MM is modeled after the program originated by On the Boards in
Seattle.