Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt: The Story of One of the Few Artists at the Stonewall Uprising

We are thrilled to be back with a new episode of the Hyperallergic podcast. 

For our one hundredth episode, we spoke with legendary collage and mixed media artist Tommy Lannigan-Schmidt. His works, made from crinkly saran wrap and tin foil, emulate the gleam of precious metals and jewels in Catholic iconography. They reference his upbringing as a working class kid and altar boy in a Catholic community in Linden, New Jersey, where tin foil was an expensive luxury they could rarely afford. But they also hold memories of where he found himself as a teenager: the LBGTQ+ street life and art community of New York City, which led to his participation in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. 

Lanigan-Schmidt is as much a visual artist as he is a storyteller. We climbed up to his fourth floor walk-up in Hell's Kitchen, where, surrounded by teetering piles of books and artwork, he regaled us with tales about artists like Jack Smith and Andy Warhol, his decision to leave his hometown as a penniless teenager, his steadfast identity as a working class artist, his conversion to Russian Orthodox Christianity, what changed for gay artists in New York between the 1960s and today, and of course, his recollection of that historic night at the Stonewall.

We know you’ll enjoy this artist’s sparkling humor and singular vision as he shares reflections on his life and this critical moment in history.

We also talked with Ann Bausum, author of Stonewall, Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights, about the significance of the uprising. She also shared some of her own first-hand recollections of segregation in 1960s America. 

The music in this episode was written by Garen Gueyikian, with the exception of one track by Dr. Delight, courtesy of Soundstripe. 

A selection of Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt’s work will be on display at a show titled Open Hands: Crafting the Spiritual at Saint Louis University’s Museum of Contemporary Religious Art until May 19, 2024. 

• (00:00) - Intro
• (02:31) - Ann / Hrag
• (13:58) - Intro to Tommy
• (15:49) - Tommy / Hrag
• (01:30:05) - Outro

Related Links:

• Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt's 2012-2013 solo show at MoMA PS1, Tender Love Among the Junk
• Lanigan-Schmidt's work at Pavel Zoubok Fine Art
• Gay and Proud, the 1970 film which documented a demonstration on Christopher Street on the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, excerpted in this episode starting at 14:39
• Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights by Ann Bausum
• Watch Flaming Creatures by Jack Smith
• Dr. Wendy Schaller on Feast of St. Nicholas by Jan Steen
• Andy Warhol's portrait of Holly Solomon
• Mario Banana, an Andy Warhol film with Mario Montez

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