The annual RainbowYOUTH Pride Art Exhibition will be back next month, showcasing work by young people from Auckland’s Rainbow Community as part of Auckland Pride Festival. This edition is being curated by the collective artistRY, which is supported by RainbowYOUTH. It will be held at Studio One Toi Tū on Ponsonby Rd, opening on 11 February. The exhibition is being coordinated by facilitators of RainbowYOUTH's art collective artistry: Kurt McCarthy and Ash Spittal. RainbowYOUTH fundraising coordinator Paul Stevens says the exhibition will give Aucklanders an insight into LGBT identities through a vibrant range of artworks reflecting the diversity of the Rainbow Community and “exploring challenging themes relating to queer and trans identities; and our history, politics, struggles and joys”. He says the exhibition is an opportunity for youth to engage creatively with issues relating to their identity and at the same time leverage a profile for their creative practices by having their work seen in an established community art space within a world-class festival programme. Studio One Toi Tū manager Echo Janman says the hub is proud to be hosting the exhibition, which she believes it will become a key annual event in the Pride Festival. Submissions are open until Monday 19 January (contact paul@ry.org.nz if you are interested in sharing your art) The Auckland Pride Festival runs from 7 February until 1 March and will include around 70 events, hinged on major annual fixtures the Big Gay Out and the Auckland Pride Parade. Along with its art exhibition, RainbowYOUTH is hosting a ‘community wardrobe’, masquerade youth ball, ribbon making night, quiz night and library panel, while it will also host stalls at the Big Gay Out and Silo Theatre, and have a float in the Pride Parade. Find out more about RainbowYOUTH’s Auckland Pride Festival events here
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 14th January 2015 - 1:49pm