Guts Gallery opened in London in 2019, creating a space for artists no matter their background, identity, or platform. They emphasized their desire to help female, working-class, and queer artists, though all are welcome. With the success of the gallery, Goldie Saloon was born.
Goldie Saloon is a brand new bar that just opened below Guts Gallery. The owner of the gallery, Ellie Pennick, is one of the founders of Goldie, and they stated that the place is a comfort for many Flintas (female, lesbian, intersex, trans, agender). The decor of Goldie Saloon is filled with the work of queer artists that work with Guts Gallery. This allows for an additional place for under-represented artists to have their pieces featured.
In August, The University of Arizona Museum of Art celebrated ten years of Mapping Q, an art exhibit that centers around the LGBTQ+ community. Their celebration includes an exhibit titled Still Queer After All These Years that featured nineteen artists with thirty-five works in total.
The works detail the personal journeys and struggles of the youth who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. The hope is that the exhibit will continue to flourish for decades more to come. It has already seen the return of some participants from the beginning days who have come back to work with newer artists. The exhibit will be available until January of 2025, so if you're interested or in the area, make sure you stop by!
The Steffen Thomas Museum of Art in Georgia announced their fourth annual Brotherhood Exhibition was titled Queer Perspectives. While the name 'Brotherhood Exhibition' comes with its own connotations based on the name, the new exhibit works to show that despite the name, they are inclusive of all. The new exhibit features the work of twelve LGBTQ+ artists who are local to the area. The pieces show what brotherhood means to those without the gendered connotations attached to the word.
The staff of the museum were overjoyed at the interest in the new exhibit and said that new people were already starting to attend the museum despite the exhibit not having opened yet. As of August 10th, 2024, Queer Perspectives is available to be viewed by the public and will continue to be opened until January 2025, much like The University of Arizona Museum of Art's Still Queer After All These Years mentioned above.
We are hopeful that we will continue to see an uptick in LGBTQ+ artists and artwork being showcased around the world. Christina Schlesinger is an artist and juror who helped on the Queer Perspectives exhibit. She has been an artist since the 70s, and she remarks on a time when queer relationships were never seen within art. The isolating feeling that must hit artists who feel like they don't belong in something they're passionate about is overwhelming. Hopefully, we are ushering in a new generation where they never have to know that feeling.
