Wild West of the East
Michael Joseph
From an empty space where the Pilgrims first landed, to a Portuguese fishing village, to an artist’s colony and now a LGBTQ+ community Provincetown has always been a transformative space. This tradition of acceptance lies deep. To many, it is a found Neverland where the concept of “play” is encouraged, and the confines of society are stripped away. Still famous for its people-watching, Commercial Street serves as a thoroughfare where drag queens bark, parades crawl, leather men strut, and creatively dressed (or barely dressed at all) are in transit.
“It is a site of connecting to a greater queer history – learning about the wonderful traditions and rituals a community built before me. It’s about a place of exploration of identity, making memories with good friends, and contributing to a place that has allowed me to be more fully alive.”
Anthony Bourdain, who famously got his start as a dishwasher in Provincetown, described it as “a wonderland of tolerance, [with a] longtime tradition of accepting artists, writers, the badly behaved, the gay, the different. It was paradise.” For many, the conscious self is taken away with the tide. This sense of freedom is palpable. It is creative, sexual and exploratory. As one states, “I’ve painted my face 100 different ways walking into town and I’ve finally found a place where freaks like me are supposed to be.” VIEW EXHIBITION HERE
VIEW EXHIBITION HERE
Wild West of the East, Public Art Installation, Provincetown, MA 2024.