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Ben Garcia, Executive Director of the American LGBTQ+ Museum
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David Hockney, Self Portrait, 1954. Lithograph in five colors, edition of approximately 5 – not numbered, 11 1/2 x 10 1/4. © David Hockney. Photo credit: Richard Schmidt
Glen W. Johnson Speaker Series: David Hockney and Queer Identity
Thursday, Oct 16, 2025
6:30 pm — 7:30 pm
Join Ben Garcia, Executive Director of the American LGBTQ+ Museum, for an engaging exploration of David Hockney’s work through the lens of queer identity.
During this inaugural Glen W. Johnson Speaker Series, Garcia will discuss how Hockney’s art reflects his lived experience as a gay man, both through the subtle and bold ways queerness appears in his artwork, and the artist’s lasting influence on LGBTQ+ visibility.
The Speaker Series was created through the generosity of philanthropists and art collectors Glen W. Johnson (1960 – 2022) and Thomas P. Merchant to bring world class speakers to Grand Rapids annually. Focusing on current exhibitions and current events, the speaker series engages artists and academics on topics relevant to the West Michigan community.
For more information, contact Deputy Director of Art, Learning, and Engagement Christopher Bruce-Karel at cbruce@artmuseumgr.org.
Related Exhibitions
Speaker Bio
Ben Garcia (he/him) has worked for 20 years to help museums become places of welcome and belonging for all people. He started as a gallery guide and educator, moved on to exhibition development, and then served in middle- and upper-management administrative roles, before joining the American LGBTQ+ Museum as Executive Director. He has presented and published regularly on creating structural equity in museums through transparency, accountability, fair labor practices, and by adding missing voices and perspectives.
Prior to joining the American LGBTQ+ Museum, Ben worked in various roles as an educator and administrator at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Skirball Cultural Center, and Hearst Museum of Anthropology. He then served as Deputy Director of the Museum of Us, and as Deputy Executive Director and Chief Learning Officer at the Ohio History Connection. He is versed in museum interpretation, operations, management, and fundraising. Ben led initiatives to return Indigenous ancestral human remains and belongings in San Diego and Ohio. He serves as a board member at Equality Ohio, working to get the Ohio Fairness Act passed.
Ben graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Boston with a B.A. in Art and from Bank Street College of Education with an M.S. Ed. In Museum Leadership.