Campsite Quickie and Other Fireside Favorites is a collection of gay male erotica inspired by recipes from a Betty Crocker Recipe Card Set circa 1973. Invoking the 70s in visual style and sensibility (and relying exclusively on imagery from the actual recipe cards), the stories rely on euphemism and innuendo to put the camp back into campsite. Imagine the soundtrack for the book is Queen – outrageous but not exactly ‘out.’

The collection straddles the worlds of rugged frontier men and momma’s boys, spicing up home cooking (well, a 70s version of it) with an erotic charge. The book ultimately explores a shifting terrain of masculinity – all the encounters take place in hyper-masculine settings, and the stories are delivered with the nonchalance of any locker room tale. There is a lack of self-consciousness among the storytellers about their transgressions; they have not yet, and may never, join the ranks of the nascent gay movement.

Available from Michael Klein Gallery

Shake-n-Make Collective

(founding members Claudia Manley, Liss Platt, Steph Rogerson)

We grew up in the 70s, in the midst of turmoil and social upheaval. Planes were hijacked, gas was in short supply, the traditional family was in flux, and an American president resigned in disgrace.  Through the lens of Afterschool Specials, we saw the world as a crisis waiting to happen; we learned that trauma was just beyond the wood paneled walls of our Rec room. Not surprisingly, we sought comfort in all things homey and homemade. Collectively, an entire culture tried to craft its way back to the 50s, only the tools, and rules, had changed. Try as we may, Betty Crocker’s canned concoctions, macramé and string art, shrinky dinks and felt banners, embroidery and toaster cozies, didn’t make life any simpler or safer. But still we persist.

As a collective, Shake-n-Make seeks to re-interpret 70s crafts, elevating these materials formally and aesthetically while critically examining themes that parallel our contemporary moment (i.e. recessions, terrorism, oil crisis, environmentalism). Crafts from the 70s were made out of materials that were cheap and readily available, often incorporating the detritus of consumer culture. Our use of iPhoto books continues in this tradition. For less than the cost a single movie ticket, an artist book can be created using the same technology families commonly use to document their vacations and family gatherings. For us, iPhoto books are the contemporary equivalent of felt, pipe cleaners, and glitter.