If you’re concerned your children aren’t getting enough pride month, head on down to Laguna Art Museum on June 17th for Drag Queen Story Hour. Join drag queen “Pickle” as she regales your children with readings of “It’s OK to be Different” by Todd Parr and “The Hips of the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish” by Lil Miss Hot Mess and Olga de Dios Ruis.
A Controversial Issue
Drag Queen Story Hour was recently banned in libraries and schools in the state of Montana. Despite the controversy surrounding the practice, Laguna Art Museum and it’s executive director Julie Perlin Lee are pushing forward with the event.
According to the Laguna Art Museum website:
Check in to the program a few moments before 11:00 to grab a seat in the museum’s gallery. Children must be accompanied by an adult at check in and through the duration of the program. Children are encouraged to sit on cushions or in chairs with their accompanying adults. At 11:00, Pickle, a drag queen storyteller, will kick off the session with a dynamic reading of It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr. Our second book of the session is The Hips of the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish by Lil Miss Hot Mess and Olga de Dios Ruiz, a fun take on the classic “The Wheels on the Bus,” that encourages movement and expression. All readings encourage dialogue with children and accompanying adults. Spontaneous dancing and expression is encouraged!
After the readings, guests will take a seat at our project stations and will be lead in a paper doll fashion design project by a museum teaching artist. This project is inspired by this month’s books and hopes to encourage children to express themselves in a way that fosters confidence and acceptance about ourselves and one another no matter what our differences are. By working together with the accompanying adults, children can reflect on the stories read earlier in the program and make a memory together.
The program concludes at the end of the art project. Program attendees are welcome to explore the museum and Gallery Store.
Pickle is our guest drag queen reader for this month’s Storytime program. Pickle is the Los Angeles organizer of Drag Queen Story Hour. Pickle has performed at various museums, libraries, media outlets and events throughout Southern California. She was recently recommended as the City of West Hollywood’s inaugural Drag Laureate by the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Commission.
Spectrum 1 recently did a story showing you what to expect when you bring your children to the event.
Drag Story Hour is a global nonprofit organization created in San Francisco in 2015. The CEO is Jonathan Hamilt a visual storyteller and queer activist. Jonathan has spoken at Harvard, Yale, the Medical Library Association, the American Library Association, Public Library Association, School Library Journal, and SXSW EDU Conference.
Parents are urged to get tickets now before they sell out.
