See My Heart- Stories and Artist Book

Thank you so much to all who tuned in for See My Heart during the National Queer Arts Festival's Dwayne Calizo Emerging Artist Showcase. My friend Marc pointed out that it is exciting to be included in a festival that has been around "since 1998, and has presented more than 800 different events that have featured more than 2,300 LGBTQ+ artists including Bill T. Jones, Alice Walker, Robert Rauschenberg, Meredith Monk, Adrienne Rich, Marga Gomez, Justin Chin, Thom Gunn, Cherrie Moraga and Dorothy Allison. NQAF is the largest queer arts festival in North America." The festival is still going on, so if you are interested in seeing the other programs, click here to see the whole lineup.

I am waiting for the festival organizers to provide me with the closed captioned version of the film before I post it to YouTube, but in the meantime I made a short promotional version for the

GoFundMe! <that's a link! click it!>

Rewards:

Thank you for considering a contribution to the fundraiser! PLEASE write to me after (AriesImagery@gmail.com) with your contact/ mailing address so I can get your rewards to you eventually.

$5-$20 You will receive a personal invitation to the signing/ comedy show/ party when that happens- this event will happen in the future, not for at least a year (maybe more- the creative process can take a long time!) but when it does happen, it will be both IRL and available streaming.You will also receive a handwritten note of thanks, from me. Hey, my autograph may be worth money one day ya never know.

$40 counts towards a pre-order of the artist book, plus domestic shipping. And a note of thanks from me.

$60 for an 8x12 or 8x8 limited edition fine art print of your choice from the See My Heart photograph collection- you can see the available images on my website over the next few months, and I will contact you when the options are finalized.

$100 counts towards a pre-order of the artist book AND a print.

If you contribute over $150, you will receive a signed copy of the artist book, a photographic print, a note of thanks from me, as well as a mention in the book itself.

*I will update this page with more rewards as things progress. Stay tuned while I enlist my vast community of talented artists, craftspeople, makers of all kinds to contribute unique rewards over the next several months.*

If you are so inclined, please share within your circles. Thank you so much!

See My Heart is a meditation on the memories, identity, and resilience of San Franciscan elder Morgan Ruzzo. Morgan's stories reveal the experience of someone destined to come to knowledge of herself in unforgettable ways. Through recorded conversations and analog photography, this short piece offers a glimpse into the heart of a talented woodworker, important community member, and cherished friend. You can think of this film as a trailer for the final form of the project, an artist book that will be available within the next year or so.

Watch See My Heart during the 2021 National Queer Arts Festival, streaming on June 9! Click Here for details.

Here is the link to the entire lineup for the National Queer Arts Festival, produced by the Queer Cultural Center.

More about See My Heart:

Morgan has performed comedic autobiographical storytelling since the 80s, and has a successful woodcrafts business. While she has shared vulnerable (and hilariously rendered) memories of her gender transition from male to female for countless audiences, See My Heart explores the stories which haven’t made it onto the stage. Morgan is a role model to many, and her stories exemplify a life of adventure, survival, addiction, recovery, transition, love, loss, and triumph.

If you are interested in supporting the completion of the See My Heart artist book and any other tendril of this multi-faceted project, please visit the GoFundMe page or email me at AriesImagery@gmail.com.

Thank you so much for your support!