Galleries

Installation view of Tonight is Forever by Gabriel Martinez, 2019

 

Art Exhibitions

 

Upcoming Exhibition:

20th Annual Group Art Exhibition

featuring Jordan Artim, Dave Tavacol, & D’Shon McCarthy

November 5 - December 5, 2026

HUDDLE (338 Brown Street)

  • Opening Reception: Thursday, November 5th, 6-8PM

  • Artist Talk: Thursday, Nov 12th, 6-8PM

Learn more here

Past Art Exhibitions:

Please see this list of Past Art Exhibitions from 2020-present, including archived virtual exhibitions.

 

Artist Opportunities

 

21st Annual Juried Art Exhibition

Now announcing our open call for the William Way LGBT Community Center’s 21st Annual Juried Art Exhibition, which will be held January 15th to February 20th, 2027 at Space 1026 (844 N Broad Street)! This opportunity is open to Philadelphia-area artists 18 and over who identify as LGBTQIA+. This year we are excited to have Philadelphia-based interdisciplinary artist Qualeasha Wood serve as juror, and awards including a curated group exhibition at Luster Gallery + Studio in Fall 2027.

Deadline: Sunday, November 15, 2026

Learn more here

The Un-Lost Sculptures of Roberta Dickinson

We are seeking a Philadelphia-area trans artist to produce one new anti-war sculptural work drawing on the lost sculptures of the late Philadelphia trans Quaker artist Roberta Dickinson (1916-1982). Chosen by a competitive open call, the artist will join two other trans artists who have been invited to participate. Each artist will receive $1,000 for materials, and a $1,000 honorarium for labor, supported by The Leeway Foundation, the William Penn Foundation, and William Way LGBT Community Center.

Deadline: Monday, December 7, 2026

Learn more here

Art Newsletter

 
 

WayOut: Philly Queer Arts Newsletter

WayOut is a monthly arts email newsletter brought to you by the Arts Committee at the William Way LGBT Community Center. WayOut promotes the Center’s art exhibitions and cultural programming and fosters a community for queer artists and creatives in the greater Philadelphia region. Subscribers to our newsletter are the first to learn about upcoming exhibitions, open calls for submissions, and other LGBTQ art-related events throughout the city.

View current and past newsletters online here, and subscribe to receive our monthly email here.

Recent WayOut Blog Features:

Featured
Adam Chau: AAPI Heritage Month Feature
Adam Chau: AAPI Heritage Month Feature

This Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage month, ceramic artist and curator Adam Chau sat down with Arts Committee member Leah Appleton to discuss art, technology, identity, intersectionality, and connection. In addition to his studio practice, Adam Chau serves on the board of National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) as the Director of Exhibitions (2023-2029) and leads the adjudication of calls for art. He is currently the Edith Dale Monson Gallery Director and Curator at Hartford Art School.

Adam Chau’s work is featured in Radical Americana, a citywide initiative organized by The Clay Studio that unites 25 of Philadelphia’s arts and cultural institutions in a series of exhibitions responding to the Semiquincentennial. Chau’s new work centered on LGBTQIA+ history and future is featured in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Clay Studio, and Biello Martin Studio in Old City. Additionally, a piece of Adam’s original artwork will be up for auction at the Asylum Pride House fundraiser House Party at Asian Arts Initiative on 5/29 from 8-11pm. 

Read more →
Symone Salib: Arab American Heritage Month Feature
Symone Salib: Arab American Heritage Month Feature

This month for Arab American Heritage Month, WayOut is featuring Symone Salib (she/her), a first generation Cuban/Egyptian street artist, muralist, and educator based out of Philadelphia. Through acrylic paint and illustration she works to highlight the lives of people, with an emphasis on BIPOC across her city since 2017. She focuses on vibrantly sharing the stories of people in hopes we can connect and resonate with humans who are different from ourselves. She strives to spread joy and create a space where people are not only seen but heard. Her work is a reclamation of space both physically and politically as she asserts the humanity of black and brown bodies and the necessity for justice against police brutality, sexism, and homophobia.

Read more →
Women’s History Month Feature: A Conversation with Linda Lee Alter
Women’s History Month Feature: A Conversation with Linda Lee Alter

This Women’s History Month, Jake Foster, our Art Exhibitions Manager, sat down for a conversation via Zoom with someone who has been an ardent supporter of women artists in Philadelphia for decades; artist and collector Linda Lee Alter, who goes by Lee. Lee has been a fine artist for more than 60 years. She has taught arts and crafts, worked as a commercial artist and illustrator, exhibited in galleries and museums, and has artwork in many private and public collections.

In the 1980s, she started collecting art by women after realizing that women are severely underrepresented in museum collections. In 2010, she gave this collection to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts to establish the Linda Lee Alter Collection of Art by Women, which includes over 500 works. In 1991, Lee founded the Leeway Foundation to make grants to women and trans artists living in the greater Philadelphia region.

In our interview, we also talk about the role of the artist in times of protest, her coming out in 2014, and subsequently finding community here at the William Way LGBT Community Center.

Read more →
 

Other Recent Arts & Culture News:

News
William Way LGBT Community Center to Bring Pioneering Trans Artist Roberta Dickinson's Story to Life in Landmark Exhibition
William Way LGBT Community Center to Bring Pioneering Trans Artist Roberta Dickinson's Story to Life in Landmark Exhibition
Read more →

About the Art Gallery

 

About the Art Gallery

Since opening in 1976, the William Way LGBT Community Center has been committed to highlighting the work of LGBTQIA+ artists from the Philadelphia region, providing a vital platform for their creative expression. Each year, we produce at least six major exhibitions, including the Annual Juried Art Exhibition. Collaborations with our John J. Wilcox Jr. Archives offer artists a wealth of historical resources to inspire new work. Our exhibitions are enriched with supplemental programming, such as artist talks, discussions, and workshops, bringing in additional visitors and deepening engagement with the Center. Most art featured in the gallery is available for sale with 35 percent of profits donated directly to the Center. For more information, please contact arts@waygay.org.

Arts Committee

The Arts Committee is a community-based volunteer committee that encourages, supports and celebrates the artistic expression and diversity of sexuality and gender expression through visual arts exhibitions produced by and about LGBTQ communities. Supporting and encouraging arts by the LGBTQ communities of the Greater Philadelphia Region is the Arts Committee’s major focus.

 
 
 

Follow us on Instagram @waygayarchives or Facebook for updates.

Questions? Email us at arts@waygay.org

 
 

Support provided by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.