NEWSLETTER
Four comedians take the stage in ‘a field of bloom and hum’
Thursday, March 6, 7:30 pm
Saratoga Springs, NY (February 19, 2025) — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College invites you to Queerly Beloved, a vibrant queer comedy showcase, on Thursday, March 6, at 7:30 pm. The event is held in conjunction with the exhibition a field of bloom and hum.
Hosted by Beck Krefting, a Skidmore Professor and comedian, the evening features Calvin Cato, Sheria Mattis, and Bailey Pope. Experience an unforgettable night of laughter and liberation where bold voices and brilliant punchlines collide with stunning art.
The monumental exhibition a field of bloom and hum, presented on both of the Tang’s two floors, features works by more than 150 artists made over the last 100 years that celebrate queer identities and communities. The downstairs gallery groups works into intergenerational dialogues; while the upstairs gallery features a salon-style wall of work by more than 140 artists from the early twentieth century to today. Also upstairs is a purpose-built stage to serve as a venue for performances, discussions, class meetings, and community gatherings throughout the exhibition’s run.
Queerly Beloved is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Visitors Services Desk at 518-580-8080 or visit https://tang.skidmore.edu.
About the Performers
Named one of Time Out New York’s LGBTQ Comics of Color to Watch Out For, Calvin S. Cato has dazzled audiences around the world. His on-air and radio appearances include Oxygen, Netflix, Sirius XM, RISK!, WIRED Magazine, and an unaired pilot for Vice Media called Emergency Black Meeting. His comedy has been featured in numerous festivals and events including New York Comedy Festival, San Francisco Sketchfest, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Gotham Storytelling Festival, Brooklyn Pride, and FlameCon. In early 2021, Cato was published in Kweendom, an anthology of essays by queer comedians and entertainers. In 2022, he concluded a three-month run hosting a daily talk show on RushTix.com.
Beck Krefting is a Professor of American Studies at Skidmore and humor studies scholar. Krefting started performing stand-up a week before 9/11 when things got really funny. She is a former Skeleton Crew Improv Company member in Nashville, organized comedy showcases for Lady Fest Ohio, and taught comedy writing to middle and high school students in Washington, DC, and Maryland. You can find her performing in the central New York region.
Sheria Mattis is a Brooklyn-born comedian and writer. She’s written for Reductress, Netflix is a Joke, Leslie Jones, and Fran Drescher. Her comedy has been featured on OprahDaily, PBS, and NBC. She’s been a finalist in the Funny Women Awards, won second place in the Comedy Mob Stand-up competition, and is a featured performer in the Knockouts All Stars comedy showcase. She is developing her comedy web series Fibroids: A Love Story with CK Productions.
Bailey Pope is a New York-based Comedian, writer, and pigeon-holed actress. She’s been featured on Prime Video, Sirius XM, Roku Comedy Network, and at festivals including New York Comedy Fest, Limestone, and World Comedy Expo. Pope is a regular at NYC clubs including Broadway, Greenwich Village, Grisly Pear, and countless indie shows in and around the NYC area.
About Skidmore College
Founded in 1903, Skidmore College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college of about 2,800 students located in the dynamic town of Saratoga Springs, New York. Consistently ranked as a top liberal arts college by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, Forbes, and more, Skidmore has also been recognized for its innovation, value, and sustainability efforts. Skidmore fosters academic and personal excellence—all driven by a belief that Creative Thought Matters. Its comprehensive array of opportunities encompasses more than 40 bachelor’s degree programs, including popular offerings in business, psychology, and the creative and performing arts; competitive NCAA Division III athletics; world-class facilities; and hands-on civic engagement and career development resources.
About the Tang Teaching Museum
The Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College is a pioneer of interdisciplinary exploration and learning. A cultural anchor of New York’s Capital Region, the institution’s approach has become a model for university art museums across the country — with exhibition programs and series that bring together the visual and performing arts with fields of study as disparate as history, astronomy, and physics. The Tang has one of the most rigorous faculty-engagement initiatives in the nation, the Mellon Seminar, and robust publication and touring exhibition initiatives that extend the institution’s reach far beyond its walls. The Tang Teaching Museum’s building, designed by architect Antoine Predock, serves as a visual metaphor for the convergence of ideas and exchange the institution catalyzes. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, from noon to 5 pm, with extended hours until 9 pm Thursday. More information at http://tang.skidmore.edu.
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Media Contact
Michael Janairo
Tang Teaching Museum | Skidmore College
mjanairo@skimdore.edu | 518-580-5542