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Stateside Podcast: What's inside Phranc's "Butch Closet"

Artist Phranc in her workshop creating a cartoon mustache.
Courtesy of Phranc
Phranc is an Artist-in-Residence this semester at the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

It takes a special kind of person to get up on stage and introduce yourself as the "All-American Jewish lesbian folk singer," but that's just what Phranc has been doing for almost 40 years.

"It's the greatest icebreaker of all time... it lets people know that I don't take myself so seriously" Phranc said.

The folk singer and artist is on campus at the University of Michigan's Institute for the Humanities this fall. She's part of an exhibit called Gender Euphoria, which focuses on the experiences of queer artists and art-making.

Phranc told us her sculptural exhibit on display now, called "The Butch Closet," touches on her lifetime of exploring her gender and sexuality. She said the closet isn't just about oppression—it's also about how you express your authentic self.

In her conversations with students this fall, she said she hopes to impart to them that, "It's never to late to come out and be who you are."

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GUESTS ON TODAY’S SHOW:

  • Phranc, folk musician and artist behind the exhibit "The Butch Closet," on display now at the Institute for the Humanities gallery
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Ethan Meyers is a Stateside Production Assistant and a senior at Calvin University. In his free time, he enjoys biking and gardening.
April Van Buren is a producer for Stateside. She produces interviews for air as well as web and social media content for the show.