WHEN Abstract Expressionism exploded in the 1950s, Edward Melcarth was painting and sculpting construction workers, junkies, and hustlers in an epic style, highly influenced by Renaissance painters like Paolo Veronese and Tintoretto. This link between the past and present was a significant feature of his artistic vision, one that still has a striking effect on the viewer to this day.

Interview with Paul Rudnick by Frank Pizzoli: PLAYING THE PALACE is Paul Rudnick’s new novel (reviewed in this issue), … He is also a regular contributor to The New Yorker, and his articles and essays have also appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. He is currently writing the book for the Broadway musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada.
This interview was conducted by telephone in late April.

MARK DAVIS has been making mobiles out of his studio in the Roslindale section of Boston for almost thirty years. He began making “three-dimensional art” as a boy growing up gay in Indiana. His work has evolved into a unique and original approach that employs color, whimsy, and playfulness to create works of stunning beauty and grace, and of course, balance.

MICHAEL CALLEN was a force of the universe. As an important first-generation AIDS activist and longtime survivor, groundbreaking queer musician, buzzing gadfly to the powerful, member of the beloved gay men’s vocal ensemble The Flirtations, and co-inventor of Safe Sex, Michael Callen touched the lives and hearts of queer folk profoundly in the 80s and 90s.

FOR FANS of cabaret performance (bless them!), Mark Nadler is a familiar name. He has performed in virtually every cabaret venue in New York City and has toured the world, winning many awards and rave reviews.