INDIANAPOLIS — June is LGBTQ Pride Month and an exhibit at the Athenaeum is showcasing the work of local queer artists. Pride & Joy, the community art show, is celebrating Indy’s LGBTQ+ artists this June and July.
Ayanna Tibbs is an Indy-based mixed media artist.
Her piece “Striking” is one of over two dozen on display in Pride & Joy.
“Especially as a young black queer child, in a church area in Indianapolis, I didn’t get to see people like me. It was demonized. It was not okay. Now, to walk around and say I do this. I do this well," Tibbs said.
The annual exhibit features a range of work, including painting, photography, sculpture, and more, from artists of all ages and skill levels.
Gara Gaines with the Athenaeum Foundation says the work gives viewers a glimpse into the artists’ journeys and identities.
“The Athenaeum was founded as a community center. Yes, it was for German Immigrants and German Americans, but we uphold that legacy in a lot of ways. I like to think of this as a community center for the people who are here," Gaines said.
Artist Rainn Doll says their piece “At her Kitchen Table” evokes queer joy.
“I want people to feel hope, that there are good things out there when everything feels hard, and sometimes it’s just little things like clipping your carabiner to your girlfriend’s carabiner," Doll said.
Photographer Jack Melton is behind the piece “Found Family.”
“It’s inspired by those communities you have, especially as queer people, the people that stick by your side, in thick and thin. Maybe if you don’t have an accepting family, really that found family," Melton said.
The exhibit is on display in the ArtSpace of the Athenaeum.
It’s free and open to the public.
