1986, video, color, sound
Curated by Jamillah James

Uncle Charlie's Downton (former site)
56 Greenwich Avenue
2PM-6PM, continuous loop

In Joan Does Dynasty, Joan Braderman deconstructs the dramatic tropes of the television program “Dynasty,” a show that revolutionized prime time. “Dynasty” was a tremendous hit with American audiences with its extreme decadence and high drama. “Dynasty” is also important in television history as among the first shows to feature a recurring gay character, Steven, son of tycoon Blake Carrington, examining gay love and relationships, as well as topical issues of bigotry, violence against gays, and parental rights. “Dynasty” would become an iconic, much loved program in the gay community.

Joan Braderman, professor of Video, Film, and Media Studies at Hampshire College, holds a BA from Harvard and MA and MPhil degrees from New York University. Her award-winning documentaries and art videos, including Joan Does Dynasty (1986) and Joan Sees Stars (1992) have been shown on PBS and on cable, in galleries, at festivals, and at universities internationally, and are in the permanent collections of museums such as the Stedelijk, Amsterdam; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. She is a founder of Heresies: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics.

In the 1980s, bars, such as Uncle Charlie's Downtown, would regularly host “Dynasty Nights.” Opened in 1980, Uncle Charlie’s was a popular video bar patronized by a primarily gay clientele, noted for its multiple screens playing MTV videos as a backdrop to dancing and other activities. Uncle Charlie’s closed in 1997 due to rising real estate costs. A sports bar, Fiddlesticks, now occupies the former site of Uncle Charlie’s.