Longtime activist Stormé DeLarverie stands in front of an Anthony Zito painting during an event at The Chelsea Hotel to honor her and raise funds for STONEWALL Veterans Association. Photo: Hal Weiner.
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By Joelle L. Quartini
Friday, September 05, 2008
Thirty-nine years have passed since the Stonewall rebellions of 1969, but the sense of community and strength that prevailed could still be felt at a recent art tribute to Stormé DeLarverie, one of the original Stonewall veterans.
It was a scene of vibrant art and continued respect at The Hotel Chelsea August 21, where New York artist Anthony Zito presented DeLarverie with a tribute portrait, and Chelsea resident abstract painter Susan Olmetti donated one of her whimsical, intricate paintings, “Mr. Minkel,” for sale to benefit the STONEWALL Veterans Association (SVA).
The tribute event was held in the Grand Ballroom of the Chelsea Hotel, where DeLarverie has lived for 34 years.
Formerly the only woman in the famed touring drag group Jewel Box Revue of the 1950s and ’60s (she was a male impersonator) and a life-long gay rights activist, DeLarverie charmed the crowd with her quick wit and an inviting smile.
“I’m hell on wheels on the street, but I feel a little uncomfortable here because nobody owes me anything,” DeLarverie, 87, said at the art tribute in her honor.
Known to many as “King Stormé,” DeLarverie got her start in activism by happenstance at the first night of the Stonewall Rebellion, June 27, 1969. (In case you need a crash course of LGBT history 101, the riots took place at gay Village bar the Stonewall Inn when its patrons fought back against police who were arresting them. It’s considered the birth of the gay rights movement and is honored the last Sunday of each June, Gay Pride Day.)
On that fateful summer night, a policeman mistook DeLarverie for a man. “Move faggot,” a cop demanded and pushed “him” outside. In return, DeLarverie punched the man in uniform.
Two weeks later, she was part of the STONEWALL Veterans Association, an organization dedicated to the history and education of the original Stonewall rebellion.
DeLarverie is still Ambassador to the SVA today, and in 2005 was recognized in the historical tribute “40 Years for 40 Heroes” by Equality Forum, a Philadelphia-based national and international LGBT education network.
The Thursday evening art show, where modern art, portraits, photography, poetry and music converged, attracted a mixed crowd of art community and gay community.
“There's just so much love in the room,” said Olmetti, who organized the event, along with other artists and Chelsea Hotel residents, who commissioned a Steven Fisher portrait of Chelsea Hotel owner Stanley Bard, a longtime SVA advocate.
“I hope Stormé will be here another 34 years,” Bard said to the crowd.
Throughout the evening, Zito enraptured guests with his live 10-minute watercolor portraits of guests.
Seventeen of his portraits, all done on found materials such as discarded doors and pieces of wood, were on display at the event, as well as several of Olmetti’s vibrant, dreamlike paintings.
Olmetti's “Mr. Minkel,” a 5-foot-square acrylic on canvas, is still for sale through the SVA, and is marked at $5,000.
Olmetti said she’s already planning another show for next year to benefit the SVA.
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