2 OUT 2 LOUD: WHERE'S THE GLITTER?

During the second installment of the Out Loud workshop series, nine teens worked with local artists and museum staff to explore LGBTQIA+ themes in the context of contemporary art. Each of these original artworks was created by an Out Loud student as the capstone of their experience. The workshops and resulting exhibition serve as platforms for youth in the LGBTQIA+ community to share their creative voices out loud.

As youth who don’t conform to cultural expectations of sexual, romantic and gender identities and orientations, these artists have unique experiences and ideas. Sadly, their perspectives are too often dismissed as insignificant by our society. These students view art-making as a meaningful method of communication as well as an opportunity to connect with other members of the community. While holding each other accountable for providing an inclusive, safe space for creative action, each artist embraced the chance to learn about such concepts as performing gender, intersectionality, memory and much more.

Pervading this exhibition is these students’ continual motivation to challenge mainstream ideas and assumptions of who they are, to reject attempts that reduce them to simple caricatures, and to address oppression as they experience it in their own lives.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website