Sheffield Museums Tour: Safe Space?

What is safe space? How do we make it, hold it and keep it? Join That Looks Queer to explore the unknown narratives within the Graves Gallery relating to LGBTQ+ representation and resilience. Kings, cowboys, mountains and chairs all come together to tell the story of Sheffield’s visual art collection.

Steve Allen (they/them) is an art writer, critic, co-curation advocate and social art network co-lead. Their work seeks to explore and interrogate the safety inherent within cultural spaces and hold a lens up to those audiences less represented within city collections. When asked to write this talk Steve wanted to challenge the conventional view of ownership, patronage and beauty prevalent within galleries. Traditionally seen as a place to express power and wealth Steve creates a personal journey within the gallery. Their hope is to welcome you to a pilgrimage of new discovery and to see their own non binary experiences signposted by works within the collection.

Please note that the content of this tour includes accounts of abuse and sexual violence, which some visitors may find distressing.

Graves Art Gallery
Surrey Street
Sheffield
S1 2LH