Amplifying the voices of transgender and non-binary artists could not be more vital. As so many within the LGBTQ+ community increasingly face further marginalization, the strength of storytelling becomes paramount in showcasing the diversity within the community and the motivations of those of us using art both constructively and instructively. In other words: Pay attention! Art has an especially important role to play in connecting important stories with new audiences, ideally inspiring dialogue as it pulls from the deepest places within its creators who speak to universal issues like identity and existence in a range of mediums and messages. It happens here in the most unexpected ways: a woman's hands peeling a piece of fruit, castings of a former/pre-op chest, and depictions of human sexuality that are both sexy and celebratory. One of the most important aspects of this exhibit is that it dedicates an entire platform for emerging trans and non-binary artists to tell their stories in the highly specific ways in which they would like them to be told. No one is speaking for them. Instead, their diverse works (paintings, photos, drawings, sculpture and video) provide powerful proof of the vitality that exists within this community and individually among the three parts of one exhibition. But if there is one thing that connects all three artists, it's their willingness to be honest and authentic, to reach into their own lives to create something important, and to ultimately help shape a space that demands to be looked at, read, watched and ultimately seen.
–Natalie Hope McDonald, co-curator
Curated by Natalie Hope McDonald & Prior Rheinhardt
William Way LGBT Community Center
1315 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
P: 215-732-2220