Artist Talk: Charles Atlas and Joe Westmoreland

Join Charles Atlas and Joe Westmoreland in conversation on the occasion of the recent republication of Tramps Like Us, an ode to a nearly-lost generation through an autofictional chronicle of America between gay liberation and the AIDS crisis, now back in print after two decades with an introduction by Eileen Myles and an afterword by the author. The evening will feature a reading from Westmoreland’s novel and screening of Atlas’ film and video work, followed by a moderated conversation with Lucy Sexton and Q&A between the audience and artists. 

Copies of Tramps Like Us  will be available for purchase.

Charles Atlas has been a pioneering figure in film and video for over five decades. Atlas has extended the limits of his medium, forging new territory in a far-reaching range of genres, stylistic approaches, and techniques. Throughout his production, the artist has consistently fostered collaborative relationships, working intimately with such artists and performers as Leigh Bowery, Michael Clark, Douglas Dunn, Marina Abramovic, Yvonne Rainer, Mika Tajima, Anohni, and most notably Merce Cunningham, for whom he served as in-house filmmaker-in-residence for a decade from the early 1970s through 1983; their close working relationship continued until Cunningham’s death in 2009.

Joe Westmoreland is the author of the novel Tramps Like Us, originally published in 2001 and republished in 2025. His writing has appeared in several anthologies including Disontents: New Queer Writers, 1992, edited by Dennis Cooper, The New Fuck You: Adventures in Lesbian Reading, 1995, edited by Liz Kotz and Eileen Myles, Queer 13: Lesbian and Gay Writers Recall Seventh Grade, 1999, edited by Cliff Chase. He wrote a column for POZ Magazine from 2003-05, edited by Walter Armstrong. In the late 80s-early 90s, he was published in many zines, including: My Comrade, Straight to Hell, Holy Titclamps, among others.  He lives in New York Ciry with his partner, Charles Atlas, and Vivian the Cat.

Lucy Sexton has worked as a choreographer, director, dramaturg, film producer, and arts advocate. She and Anne Iobst created and continue to perform as DANCENOISE. The group started in the 1980s East Village club scene, and went on to perform at Lincoln Center, win a NY Dance and Performance ‘Bessie’ Award, and tour across the US and internationally. DANCENOISE was invited to do a retrospective of their work to open the new Whitney Museum in 2015. She also developed and directed Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell, with Kathleen Russo. And produced the documentaries The Legend of Leigh Bowery, directed by Charles Atlas, and TURNING a concert film by Charles Atlas and Anohni, featuring Anohni and the Johnsons. Most recently she developed and directed singer/songwriter Eszter Balint’s I Hate Memory which ran at Joe’s Pub in 2024. Sexton currently leads New Yorkers for Culture and Arts, a cultural advocacy coalition working to strengthen the creative sector in every community.

Header image: Josef Astor, Charlie & Joe, 1996

Accessibility
Chairs with backs will be available. Located at 26 Wooster Street, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art strives to provide a welcoming environment to all visitors. Five external steps lead to our entrance doors: a wheelchair lift is available. All galleries are wheelchair-accessible, and a single-occupancy accessible restroom is located behind the visitor services desk: all restrooms are gender-neutral. Large print didactics are available. 

For questions or access requests, please email info@leslielohman.org with 1 week advance of your visit.