By Charlotte Berg, Rachel Krause, & Melissa Hamilton
An art show featured at the Art Garage, located at 1400 Cedar Street in Green Bay, is currently looking for art pieces to show in the gallery. Submissions for the show are due on or before May 20, 2021. The My Voice, My Truth art show aims to showcase art specifically from those in the LGBTQ+ community. The brand-new show is meant to bring visibility to a community that some may not be familiar with. Positive Voice, an organization focused on bringing voices to LGBTQ+ individuals, sponsors My Voice, My Truth at The Art Garage.
Figure 1: Art Garage logo. Credit: artgarage.org
Justis Tenpenny is a board member for Positive Voice, incorporation dedicated to supporting all gender and sexuality diverse individuals and their families. Tenpenny emphasizes the importance of these kinds of shows for Brown County. “Often, we find that LGBTQ people, and non-LGBTQ people alike, don’t know much about queer culture, community, or even history.” He stresses the importance of LGBTQ representation since “Queer voices and history have traditionally been erased from media, educational curriculums, and more. All this leads to a lack of visibility and understanding.” Tenpenny further stresses the importance of art shows such as this, mentioning “LGBTQ visibility is paramount to change and also a sense of belonging.”
Figure 2: Justis Tenpenny, Board member of Positive Voice. Credit: PVINC.org
Leaders on this event share further with stating that “over the years, queer art has a long and tangled history of censorship. This pride month, we hear the voices and truth of the LGBTQ+ artists in our community to commemorate the contributions that they have made”.
Figure 3: Logo of My Voice, My Truth exhibit at the Art Garage. Credit: ArtGarage.org
The My Voice, My Truth show will be featured at The Art Garage on June 3 through July 25, 2021, with an artist reception on June 4th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. The exhibition will also be available to view online. Submissions for the My Voice, My Truth show can be entered through the Art Garages submission form on their website. Other events at the Art Garage or further information about My Voice, My Truth can be found here. Information about Positive Voice can be found on their website.
More information on the exhibition can be found here.