Ryan Patrick Krueger at MCA Chicago
Talk | LGBTQ+ Activism in Chicago: Past, Present & Future
Last week, Ryan Patrick Krueger participated in a community dialogue about LGBTQ+ Activism in Chicago: Past, Present & Future, in partnership with The LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Held in connection with the MCA's exhibition "City in a Garden: Queer Art and Activism in Chicago", this gathering fostered storytelling, reflection, and exchange across generations to cultivate community, connection, and imagination for Chicago’s collective future. The event is now available online and the link to watch is included in our bio. Scroll to learn more about the event and storytellers.
About the Storytellers
Phyllis Johnson, 75, is a lifelong resident of Chicago. A retired professor, she taught at Columbia College for 27 years. She is a cofounder of Women of All Colors and Cultures Together (WACT), a community enhancing brunch group for queer women. In 2024, WACT was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. Retirement has allowed her to become more active in her communities. She is a former participant and current facilitator of the LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project. She serves on the Board of Directors for Affinity Community Services, and the OutAging Advisory Committee of Pride Action Tank, AIDS Foundation. She also serves on the West Chesterfield Community Association, the community in Chicago that has always been Black.
Ankit Khadgi, 27, is a Chicago-based writer, organizer, and curator. He currently serves as a board member of Trikone Chicago, where he helps organize events and build community for South Asian queer people across the city. In 2024, he was named one of Windy City Times’ Top 30 Under 30 LGBTQ+ leaders in Chicago. Ankit is also the curator of People Who Came Before Us, an archival project documenting the history of Chicago’s South Asian LGBTQ+ community.
Ryan Patrick Krueger, 33, is a Chicago-based artist who works with photography to explore queer history, activism, and collective memory. Drawing from archives and lived experience, their practice centers intergenerational storytelling and the ways images carry resistance across time. Their work has been exhibited nationally, including the Everson Museum of Art, Rivalry Projects, and the 2022 FotoFest Biennial in Houston, TX. Krueger’s work has appeared in ARTnews, Art in America, and Aperture.
Lizzie Maricich, 71, is a lifelong Southside Chicago resident. She’s an accomplished artist, writer, and storyteller. For as long as she can remember, two truths have been woven deeply into her life. The first is that she always knew she was an artist. The second is that she always knew she was a girl—even though she wasn’t identified as one at birth. Despite the hostility directed at transgender people in this country, Lizzie has never felt more real or empowered. No deranged political movement will ever take that away from her.