Cosy and inclusive ‘Having a queer intergenerational space, that’s a really big thing,’ says co-founder of Matter Queer Space Manitoba By: Eva Wasney Posted: 4:42 PM CST Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024

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A fresh coat of paint and track lighting has turned a former gender-affirming clothing shop into an art gallery, library and gathering space with a similar community-minded mission.

Matter Queer Space Manitoba — located in the previous basement home of Closet Space at 433 Graham Ave. — is a non-profit venture designed to offer LGBTTQ+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) Winnipeggers a welcoming place to connect over art, books and shared interests.

“A lot of (hanging out) happens in bars and not all queers are into that scene.”–Nix Cristobal Calma

Matter was founded by spouses Bre and Nix Cristobal Calma and friend Carla Taylor, who runs Revolution Wellness Centre on the building’s main floor.

“There aren’t a lot, if any, spaces in the community right now to just come and be together,” Bre says, adding the goal is to offer barrier-free programming to visitors of all ages.

“Having a queer intergenerational space, that’s a really big thing because the queer community can be segmented in some ways,” Nix says.

“A lot of (hanging out) happens in bars and not all queers are into that scene.”

The basement is bright and cosy, with a gallery room at one end, library shelving in the middle and seating areas throughout. There are plans to add a gender-affirming retail shop in the future.

In addition to art shows and workshops, the programming schedule is going to be community-driven, meaning anyone is invited to pitch and host public or private events that fit with Matter’s mandate. Ideas discussed so far include yoga classes, movie nights, craft groups and a reading club.

“Not a book club, where you have to sit and talk; instead, you sit and collectively read together. You’re not necessarily forced into socialization that may be uncomfortable for some people, but it still gives you an opportunity to be out and around people that you know will accept you as you are,” Taylor explains.

It’s the kind of gathering that speaks to the project’s overall ethos.

“We picture this space as a bit of an introvert haven,” Taylor says.

Matter launches Saturday with an open house and mini maker’s market from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring goods from 15 queer vendors, with sensory-friendly and mask-required shopping during the first two hours.

The first art exhibit is set to open in January, featuring the work of local visual artist and muralist Cat Hues, a.k.a. Pink Panda.

Matter’s founders believe it will be one of the city’s first permanent gallery spaces designated specifically for showing work by marginalized LGBTTQ+ artists.

“It’s surprising it hasn’t been done yet because there are a lot of wonderful, racialized, trans, queer, non-binary artists,” says Nix, who is also a multimedia artist.

“We picture this space as a bit of an introvert haven.”–Carla Taylor

With every exhibit, the featured artist will be invited to host talks and art-making workshops for the public, the results of which will be turned into a group show curated by the artist.

“We really want to challenge the idea of meritocracy. This idea that you have to have a degree in art curation to curate an exhibit,” Bre says.

Matter’s library — which is the continuation of a project started by Taylor and friend Renu Shonek in 2019 — is stocked with borrowable books by bell hooks, Joshua Whitehead, James Baldwin and others. A book drive by Winnipeg’s Willow Press has brought dozens of new titles into the fold and Matter is accepting donations of used books of any genre by queer BIPOC authors.

“We know these books are out there, but not everyone does. It’s nice to bring them together in a collection to learn about more authors and more talent in the community, and even to encourage some of our community members in their own writing and creativity,” Taylor says.

To reduce financial barriers for visitors, the programming at Matter will be offered on a pay-what-you-can basis.

Other than donations collected through a GoFundMe campaign, the organizers have been footing the bill for the project out-of-pocket. They hope to find sustainable, long-term funding in the future.

“This has definitely been a passion project and a labour of love. The three of us are just community members, none of us have experience doing any of this — running galleries or libraries — but it’s a space that we wanted to see and we knew there was a need for,” says Bre.

“Nobody else was doing it, so someone had to.”

Visit mattermanitoba.org for more information.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com