Project: PROUD+ • National Exhibitions • 2017 - Ongoing
As owner of The Studio Door art gallery, I made it a goal to annually bring together a national opportunity for LGBTQIA+ artists to showcase the work of their diverse voices. I hoped to counteract the limited opportunities for the community to openly exhibit and sell their artworks.
The exhibition now in its seventh year reveals the personal struggles, desires and strengths of our community. It reveals LGBTQIA+ intimacy and sexual expression in the gallery, which is often sidelined by mainstream galleries. By pairing it with Pride, it also offers creativity as a communal experience bringing together the whole community.
Artistically, PROUD+ allows for creatives to network with other artists nationally and with the key jurors from LGBTQIA+ arts community.
Q&A
How did this exhibit evolve?
The Studio Door gallery with artists studios evolved out of my art practice. Through community, I found my own career to grow exponentially. Like most artists, I spend a lot of time in my own head. The creative process start internally. Community offered me a sounding board, unlimited inspiration, shared knowledge and like-minded friendships. I wanted to give others the same experience and as I did so, I brought my community with me.
Who has been involved in these exhibitions?
150 artists identifying as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Assexual from 30 US States, Puerto Rico, South Africa and the Czech Republic have exhibited a diverse array of artworks in the five exhibitions since 2017.
Curators and Jurors include:
• Michael Swank, Gallery Art Studios/ Bureau of Queer Art (Mexico City, Mexico)
Jonathan D Katz, American Art Historian and Curator - Founding Father of Queer Art History (Philadelphia, PA)
Alyssa Nitchun, Executive Director of Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art (New York City, NY)
Alexis Bard Johnson, Curator of ONE Archives at USC Libraries (Los Angeles, CA)
Hunter O’Hanian, Director of Stonewall National Museum and Archives(Fort Launderdale & Wilton Manors, FL)
Rakeem Cunningham, Director of TAG Gallery (Los Angeles, CA)
Alex Fialho, Visual AIDS Program Director / Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Research and Curatorial Associate (New York City, NY)