Aug. 30 – Dec. 4, 2016
Samek Gallery, 3^rd Floor Elaine Langone Center, Bucknell University

This exhibition explores queer futurity and the aesthetics of utopia.

From marriage equality, to “bathroom bills,” to the massacre in Orlando, queerness is central to current social and political life. Current events can mire us in an unrelenting present that makes it hard to imagine a path beyond.

A rising chorus of artists is asking where do we go from here? How do queer communities imagine and work toward a better world? And how do queer theories, artistic practices, and lived experiences influence broader cultural thinking about the future?

The artworks in this exhibition represent a diverse range of sexes and sexualities, gender identities and expressions, national origins, and aesthetic sensibilities. Each work speaks with its own voice and they point down many possible paths to queer futurity. In some works, sexuality and sexual imagery are exposed as politics. Some works invoke collective strength and a sense of shared destiny. And others code utopian messages into history, mythology, and culture. Together, they suggest that our best hope may be to queer the future.

Edie Fake, Sugar in the Tank, 2015. Ink and gouache on paper, 22 x 30 inches.

Related Events:

Tomorrow Never Happens Semester Launch Party
Friday, September 16, 7pm
Samek Gallery, 3^rd Floor Elaine Langone Center

Join us to celebrate Tomorrow Never Happens and the beginning of a new semester. Featuring  hip hop, drag, and  spoken word performances from Abdu Ali, Lil Miss Hot Mess, as well as Maggie Eighteen and Alex Smith of Metropolarity.

Field Trip: Hermitage and Mahantongo Heritage Center
Saturday, October 1, 10am-3:30pm
Departs from Elaine Langone Center

In connection to Tomorrow Never Happens and its focus on the concept of a queer utopia, we will be visiting this one-of-a-kind queer utopian experiment right here in Central PA. Information on how to sign up will be available soon on our website. Includes bus travel and lunch at Penn’s Tavern is on your own.

Tomorrow Never Happens Curatorial Talk
Wednesday, October 12, 6pm
Gallery Theater, Elaine Langone Center

Samek Director, Richard Rinehart will be in conversation with Bucknell Assistant Professor of Women and Gender Studies, Nikki Young. Introductions by Associate Provost Robert Midkiff. A post-talk performance by Cornelius Loy will take place in the Samek Gallery.

G.E.T. Fall Gala
Friday, November 4, 5:30-7:00pm
Samek Gallery, 3^rd Floor Elaine Langone Center

The Samek’s student organization, the Gallery Engagement Team, is throwing its fall gala at the Samek in celebration of Tomorrow Never Happens. This event is for students, by students.

Film Screening: Tropical Malady
Tuesday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m.
Campus Theatre, 413 Market St., Lewisburg, PA

In partnership with the Bucknell Film/Media Studies Program, the Samek co-presents a screening of the Thai romantic psychological drama, Tropical Malady (dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2004, 125 min.) in conjunction with the exhibition, Tomorrow Never Happens. Free for Bucknell students, general admission is $2. More information can be found here.

Order the Tomorrow Never Happens exhibition catalog online.

Exhibition Checklist: