The Dyke Show by JEB (Joan E. Biren)

A group of people march down a street, in the foreground is a person holding their fist up. A large banner in the background reads "Delaware Dykes for Peace, Jobs, Justice".

Delaware Dykes for Peace, Jobs, & Justice, 1979, Joan E. Biren. Image from The Dyke Show by JEB. ©JEB (Joan E. Biren)

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025

7pm

Getty Center

Harold M. Williams Auditorium

This is a past event.

About

From 1979–1984, JEB performed The Dyke Show more than 80 times to packed audiences at community spaces and universities across the US and Canada. Originally titled Lesbian Images in Photography: 1850–1984, the pioneering show includes portraits, documentary, and erotic images by historic and contemporary photographers ranging from Alice Austen and Berenice Abbott to Tee Corinne and Leigh Mosley. JEB’s accompanying narration is a unique fusion of art history, activist inspiration, and stand-up comedy.

Following the screening of The Dyke Show (pre-recorded in 2023), photographer Amina Cruz will join JEB on stage for a talkback and Q&A.

Arrive early—a pre-program reception begins at 5:30pm and the exhibition Queer Lens is open until 6:45pm the date of the program.

View the The Dyke Show program.

Lesbian and Non-binary Photographers in The Dyke Show by JEB

Alice Austen
Annemarie Schwarzenbach
Berenice Abbott
Beth Karbe
Bettye Lane
Bolette Berg & Marie Høeg
Bonnie Sundance
Carol Ginandes
Carol Newhouse
Cathy Cade
Cheryl A. Sena
Claude Cahun
Claude Cahun & Marcel Moore
Clementina Hawarden
Clytia Fuller
Cynthia MacAdams
Deborah Snow
Della Grace
Diana Davies
Edith Watson
Ellen Shub
Emma Jane Gay
Francis Benjamin Johnston
Honey Lee Cottrell
Irene Young
Jane Philomen Cleland
Jean Parlett-Norsworthy
JEB (Joan E. Biren)
Jill Posener
Katie Niles
Kay Tobin Lahusen
Laura Aguilar
Leigh Mosley
Lenn Keller
Lisa Szer
Lynette Molner
Lynnie Levy
Marcelina Martin
Marianne Breslauer
Mary Clare Powell
Peggy Feerick
Photographer Unknown
Ruth Bernhard
Sharon Deevey
Tee Corinne
Tia Cross

Partners and Sponsors

This event is co-presented by

Participants

  1. Joan E. Biren

    Artist

    JEB (Joan E. Biren) has been influential within LGBTQI+ communities and the wider public by actively challenging the representation of lesbians, the way that we understand photographic history, and how we speak about image-making. Her first book, Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians, originally published in 1979, was reissued in 2021 by Anthology Editions. JEB’s second book, Making a Way: Lesbians Out Front will be reissued in 2025. The Dyke Show, described as “an astounding compendium of lesbian imagery and ideas,” was restored and digitized with a new live narration by JEB in 2023.

    In the 1970s, JEB was a part of two lesbian collectives: The Furies, which produced an historic newspaper, and Moonforce Media, which distributed feminist films from 1975 to 1980. In the early 1990s, JEB transitioned from making photographic stills and slideshows to filmmaking. JEB’s photographic work is represented in many collections including the National Portrait Gallery, the Getty Museum, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, and the Academy of Arts in Berlin. JEB, now 80 years old, lives surrounded by chosen family and occasionally tries to retire from photography and filmmaking. Her plan is never to retire from social justice activism.

  2. Amina Cruz

    Artist

    Amina Cruz was born and lives in Los Angeles. She got her start in photography at 13, when a family member left their camera behind. Cruz hitchhiked around the country before deciding to move to New York City, where she earned her BFA in photography from Parsons School of Design. In 2023, she received a MFA from UCLA.

    Cruz’s photography practice is profoundly personal and collaborative. She highlights the intersections between people and landscapes crossed by gender, gentrification, and migration. She’s invested in archiving the contemporary, often emergent, subcultures that arise from these spaces of contact, seeking moments that ask questions of purpose and belonging. Her work is in various private collections including CEMA at the University of California Santa Barbara, Self Help Graphics Archive, Loyola Marymount University, and the Getty Museum.

  3. Paul Martineau

    Curator

    Paul joined the Getty Museum's Department of Photographs in 2003. He is an alumnus of the University of Massachusetts at Boston and the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for visual storytelling, he has curated or co-curated more than 20 exhibitions on a diverse range of topics. A specialist in 20th-century American photography, Paul is a prolific author, having written or co-written 11 books, including, most recently, Rodney Smith: A Leap of Faith (2023), Imogen Cunningham: A Retrospective (2020), Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography (2018), Robert Mapplethorpe: The Photographs (2016), and The Thrill of the Chase: The Wagstaff Collection of Photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum (2016).

Know Before You Go

Duration

Screening time: 1 hour
Conversation: 30 minutes

Planning your arrival

Please bring your tickets with you and have them open on your mobile device or printed. Your event ticket is also your entry to the Getty Center and will be checked upon arrival as you go through security before taking the tram or walking up the hill.

Your ticket will also be checked at the event entrance.

Event check-in

Check-in begins 90 minutes before program start time at the Harold M. Williams Auditorium.

Doors open 30 minutes before program start time.

Seating

Unless otherwise noted, all seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend arriving early to guarantee a seat. Unclaimed tickets may be released 15 minutes prior to the event.

Accessibility

Live ASL interpretation will be provided during the talkback and Q&A. The Dyke Show is close captioned in English.

Wheelchairs are available for free rental on a first-come, first-served basis at the Lower Tram Station above the parking structure and at the Coat Check Room in the Museum Entrance Hall.

Assisted listening devices are available for this event. Please request one from our Visitor Services associates when you check in.

For more information on how we can support your visit to the Getty Center, learn about accessibility at Getty.

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