Teens, meet like-minded peers, jot down ideas and reflect on artworks in the NGV Collection that are connected to LGBTIQA+ experiences and histories in these social sessions with NGV curators and members of Melbourne’s queer creative community. In these interactive sessions for Midsumma Festival, teens can join actor and theatre maker Ben Goss, and NGV curators Meg Slater and Michael Gentle as they guide participants through stories from the Collection, share their perspectives and extend the invitation to contribute.
Attendees will be invited to share their thoughts verbally, write down ideas or sketch them. All materials will be provided. These sessions are open to people aged 14 to 18 years. Allies welcome. Please select from one of the session times below.
Speakers
Ben Goss
Ben Goss is a Melbourne based actor and theatre maker originally from Tasmania. A VCA graduate, he is passionate about exploring how the theatre and screen industries can become more accessible and inclusive. Recent credits as an actor include Tim (Christine Dunstan Productions), Hyacinth and Leopard Print Loincloth (Kissing Booth) and A Resourceful Hero Struggling Against Incredible Odds (Rawcus / Malthouse). He was a recipient of the VCA’s Irene Mitchell Award for Excellence in 2019. Ben works as a teaching Artist at St Martins Youth Theatre.
Michael Gentle
Michael Gentle is Curator, Australian and First Nations Art, NGV. His art-historical and curatorial research explores national identities, the environment, colonial legacies and contemporary First Nations practice. Michael is a man of convict and Nyoongar ancestry, with ancestral connection to Minang Boodja, in Western Australia. Michael recently co-curated Bark Salon, an exhibition space in Wurrdha Marra, NGV Australia.
Meg Slater
Meg Slater is Curator, International Exhibition Projects, NGV. Since 2017, Slater has worked on eight of the NGV’s major international exhibitions, including MoMA at NGV: 130 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art, 2018; Keith Haring | Jean Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines, 2019/20, Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi, 2023; and Yayoi Kusama, 2024/25. Slater was also one of the five curators who organised QUEER: Stories from the NGV Collection, 2022. In 2021, Slater completed a Master of Art Curatorship at the University of Melbourne with First-Class Honours.