community rachel moran
sam palma
kathie fang
rae nowlin REVOLUTIONARY: YOUTH ART SHOWby korie houston
In turbulent times, there are passionate individuals who create beautiful works of art. As a reflection of that, San Diego Pride partnered with the Trevor Project to create the first LGBTQ youth art show in 2017. The theme We Are Here: Reflections of LGBTQ Lives was chosen to reflect the diverse narratives of these young artists, each creating art to tell stories of pain, compassion and inspiration. For 2018 the theme is appropriately named, Revolutionary, with artists from all over San Diego County entering their pieces. Each takes on a unique approach to their different narratives and considering the challenging year the LGBTQ community has recently faced, it’s important to create powerful artwork in the face of that adversity.
Sam Palma, a senior from Morse High School participated in the show when it first debuted in 2017 and is again for 2018. The Rage Monthly chatted with Palma about what it means to create. “As an LGBTQ artist, this show gives me a
sense of pride and it allows me to express myself in a way I find comfortable,” said Palma. “It’s also inspiring to see other youth like me, showcase their interpretations of the show’s theme, all in breathtaking ways.” We delved a little further into Palma’s process and medium. “I prefer working with graphite pencils since I have produced more
8 RAGE monthly | MARCH 2018
work with that medium. When I create art I love to draw from my life. What people see most in my work are familiar faces: In some way, shape or form my artwork displays the impact that said person may have made on my life.” Delving a little deeper, Palma said this, “I create art to relieve stress, which is quite common for a few artists. Although I sometimes draw or paint to calm myself, I also create when I want to say something that I can’t really put into words. Art has somehow always been there for me to express myself…when I couldn’t put my emotions into words.” This art show wouldn’t be possible without the support of The Trevor Project and San Diego Pride. Pride’s Executive Director Fernando Z. López talked about what inspired the collaboration and the necessity for an event like this. “When we wanted to relaunch our youth programs we partnered with Josh Coyne, a local ambassador for The Trevor Project, who was interested in supporting more direct youth programing. The partnership brought greater credibility, reach and resources. No one organization or person can do it all on their own and we attribute the success of our youth programs to building positive relationships with other LGBTQ youth-serving nonprofits and organizations like The Trevor Project.” Revolutionary: Youth Art Show was created to inspire the community and López discussed the motivation driving this event,
I also create when I want to say something that I can’t really put into words. Art has somehow always been there for me to express
myself…when I couldn’t put my emotions into words.”
“The inspiration was our youth. Our programs are youth-led and they decide what programs and events they want to create. They recognized the lack of spaces for queer art and wanted to create a platform for queer youth to showcase their talents to the community. They asked for it…and we simply helped give them the tools to make it happen.” As to López’s hopes for those participating in
the event, he offered this, “These youths have incredible talent and a depth of life experiences that deserve a platform. In this process they have learned how to create their own event, recruit other youth to their cause, and received education around art as an advocacy tool. It’s inspiring to watch their joy unfold while they learn these skills and see the final results of their hard work. When it’s all done they will see how much their community supports them as LGBTQ youth and as artists whose voice, visions and talent is embraced and valued.” You won’t want to miss out on the different narratives created from the perspective and scope of our youth. Embracing the upcoming generation of the community is one of the most important things that we can do as LGBTQ individuals.
Revolutionary: Youth Art Show opening reception takes place Saturday, March 10, and continues through March. For more information, go
tosdpride.org/youth-art-show.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
