The Dr. Robert Summers Queer Art Collection

Artists Pose with their work from the Queer Art Collection

In 2018, Robert Summers suddenly passed away. He was a long time friend of the Cerritos College Art Gallery. Over the course of the previous decade, he had presented a lecture in conjunction with one CCAG exhibition (Re:Creation: Serious Play with Canonical Art) and wrote a generous review of another (Second Sight: New Works by Christina McPhee). More broadly, he was a brilliant scholar, especially devoted to championing queer art and supporting queer artists (LGBTQ+). In homage to his memory, a number of young artists connected to the gallery whose work and lives were touched by Summers' passionate, but far too short, critical and curatorial practice, agreed to donate pieces to the Cerritos College Art Gallery to establish the Dr. Robert Summers Queer Art Collection. As word spread, others have since offered pieces for the collection, perhaps most notably the estate of the late photographer, Laura Aguilar. It is our sincere hope that, as the collection continues to grow through further generous artist donations, this unique collection within the Cerritos College Art Gallery's larger permanent holdings, will serve as a resource and a touchstone for aspiring queer artists and art historians, who will know that their voice and their artistic vision has a valued place of recognition within a broader art historical discourse.

Artists currently in the collection include: Laura Aguilar, Ron Athey, Cliff Benjamin, Enrique Castrejon, Xavier Cázares Cortéz, Dwora Fried, Brian Lombera, Dakota Noot, Stiophan O'Ceallaigh, Jynx Prado, Marvel A. Rex, Alex Andrew Sanchez, Stuart Sandford, Dr. Robert Summers, Efrain Torres, Christopher Anthony Velasco, and John Waiblinger.