PCAC is Calling All LGBTQ Artists

Though it's arguable that June is the most significant month for the LGBTQ community, it's not uncommon for Pride celebrations to extend throughout the summer and beyond. The Pontiac Creative Arts Center is certainly extending Southeast Michigan's Pride season this year with the Oct. 12 debut of its "Kaleidoscope of Expression" exhibition. In following with its theme, the exhibit's goal is to showcasing the varied works and talents of any interested LGBTQ artists. Ronnie Karpinski is a PCAC board member and he encourages "everybody who is interested to submit" now through the Sept. 15 deadline.
"I'm actually a member of the LGBTQA+ community, and I just thought we were long overdue for a Pride exhibit. I actually don't know if we've ever had one, there's no record of one ever taking place, hence the 'Kaleidoscope of Expression' was born," he said.
Patrizia Makohon is a board member as well and the curator of this exhibit. She said that the parameters were kept broad on purpose, to encourage the participation of all kinds of talent. So far, submissions have been received mainly from the Southeast Michigan area, but there have been several from across the state of Michigan and even as far as Florida and California.
"It's open to anybody that identifies as LGBTQA+ and it's going to be a juried show, because we welcome anything whether it's two-dimensional, three-dimensional, photography, painting, sculpture, craft, metalwork, woodwork, design — and that's just the visual arts," Makohon said. "We're also encouraging performance art. And so, the parameters are really that we want a very high quality that's robust, and a show that's indicative of the deep, deep talent of that group. So, it's a way to celebrate and a way to promote art in Southeast Michigan."
Participation in "Kaleidoscope of Expression" is free and the show is made possible because of the Oakland University/Pontiac Initiative Community Impact Sponsorship Award.
"We're a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization and like many others we are still recovering from the 2008 recession. So, before we can really launch any new exhibits or programs, we have to first secure funding," Karpinski said. "… I came across the Oakland University Pontiac Initiative grant program and applied online. And I'm happy to share that we were given the full grant of $1,900, which is what we applied for."
Along with some additional fundraising, Karpinski said that this show is also a direct result of a partnership with Oakland University Gender and Sexuality Center.
"We're trying to give back to them for giving to us. And also, it's a good opportunity to help some of the students who have graduated or will be graduated who are working on different types of art exhibits and bringing together different marketing materials," Karpinski said.
He added that so far, the submission process for this event has been an exciting one and both he and Makohon are hopeful that "Kaleidoscope of Expression" turns into a regularly occurring event.
"We've received several submissions from all different types of mediums and all different geographic areas. So, really, it's open to anybody and we're really excited to see where this takes us," he said. "… But also, with it being the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, we need to celebrate that and I we don't have a Pride event in Pontiac so it's our way of showcasing that. We think it's a great opportunity."
TAGLINE To find out more about the exhibit and PCAC visit pontiacarts.org. Interested artists can submit their work online at http://gaybe.am/mp.