Mary Tremonte
May 20, 2009
Mary Tremonte is not just a lesbian, art instructor or a DJ, she is an artist with a very profound concern over the current state of the environment, use of public space and personal freedom. Her work, both artistically and musically is centered around the ability to nurture and self preservation.
This artists has dedicated an entire series of work to queer animals in hopes that the fact based story-lines will prove to her audience that being gay is in fact a built in trait, not a choice. The image above was made for Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins at the Central Park Zoo who were sexual companions and shared responsibility in hatching an egg. “Zookeepers noticed them sitting on egg-shaped rocks while other penguins were incubating, and they were given a fertilized egg. Roy and Silo patiently incubated it until it hatched. There are dozens of documented cases of same-sex penguin couples in captivity and the wild. After I first created this print, I found that Roy and Silo’s story was made into a children’s book And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell. This book has been banned at libraries in conservative areas throughout the United States. Opponents of legal protection for same-sex couples and genderqueers often use the argument that it is ‘not natural,’ or a behavior rather than an inborn trait, such as race. These examples of biological exuberance counteract those views. Speaking from the heart, I am always looking for new signifiers and icons, as General Idea did with poodles and baby seals in the 1980’s. Respect your spirit! Love is powerful!”
In addition to the queer animals series, Tremonte has focused on the current environmental concern that so many others are forcing into the limelight: global warming. One print depicts a polar bear with a sack tied to a stick in search of a new home stating, “It’s getting hot in here”. After news broke that polar bears are suffering in a variety of ways due to global warming, Mary decided it was time to use her work to approach the matter humorously, believing that a sense of compassion would follow the irony. “Due to icebergs melting, they are swimming ever-longer distances, have less space to reproduce, and are even drowning. The effects of Global Warming are brutally evident in the delicate situation of these strong, powerful creatures.”
Screen printing is not the only method Mary uses to project her thoughts, she collaborates with Sarah Claire of Remedy to host a monthly lesbian themed dance party in the heart of Lawrenceville. The dance party is an open source for the community to enjoy diversity, creativity and autonomy. Mary is also the resident DJ for Operation Sappho, DJ Mary Mack, and spins a good mix of obscure post-punk with British and English dance creating an exuberant environment for Pittsburgh’s counter culture to gather in. “[We're] trying different things – trying anything really.”
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