SAN DIEGO, Calif. – San Diego LGBT Pride, in partner with Art of Pride and The Trevor Project, has announced its first LGBTQ+ youth art show. We Are Here: Reflections of LGBTQ Lives is an art show hosted by San Diego Pride youth volunteers as an opportunity for young people in our community to share their stories.
“Our youth programs have grown over the years, and we’re excited to offer this new space for our young people to express themselves and share their talents with the community,” said Josh Coyne, San Diego LGBT Pride Youth Programs Coordinator. “It is our hope that young artists will use their talents to advocate for positive social change.”
The San Diego LGBT Pride office, located at 3620 30th St., San Diego, CA 92104, will be opening its doors on Saturday, March 11th, from 6pm to 8pm to coincide with North Park’s Ray at Night, which is San Diego’s largest and longest-running monthly art walk.
“The Art Show is an expression of our lives and how our identities affect our experiences,” said Edward Estrada, 17-year-old SCPA student and Pride youth volunteer. “We are a culmination of our intersections, bound together by our LGBTQ identities and ready to express ourselves to the greater community.”
Young LGBTQ+ artists currently enrolled in junior high through high school are strongly encouraged to register and showcase their art. All forms of “hangable” media and art, including photography and collages, are acceptable. Workshops are available for those who do not currently have an art piece to contribute and require a safe space to do so. Submitting pieces anonymously is also an option.
San Diego LGBT Pride is accepting applications until Tuesday, Feb. 28. Interested youth can apply at www.sdpride.org/youth-art-show
While I applaud these youth, please realize that this isn’t the first youth art show at San Diego Pride. When we first created the youth space we had a youth Art show! We queer youth of the 90s fought very hard to make the youth space at SD Pride, and art was a very important part of it, along with musical and spoken word performances. Hold the banner high, but please acknowledge the history of youth activism in San Diego!