Mapping Q: Still Here / Still Queer features artwork by LGBTQIA+ youth from across the state of Arizona. The works in this exhibition reflect the struggles and creative resilience of LGBTQIA+ youth artists, who skillfully communicate what it means to identify as LGBTQIA+ today. This gallery also showcases work from Mapping Q: 2020, which – due to the COVID-19 pandemic – could only be hosted online. For the first time in the history of the Mapping Q program, this exhibition reflects the energy, stories, ideas and experiences of LGBTQIA+ youth over the span of two years.
In an effort to connect youth with positive representations of themselves, we expanded the Mapping Q program to include three practicing LGBTQ-identified artists in 2022. Each led a virtual workshop with youth participants, sharing why they celebrate being “amateurs” and how they use art to find comfort, as well as some of their art-making techniques. The teaching artists – Lex Gjurasic, Lucas Disalvo and Anaysa Stark – were also invited to submit work, making this the first intergenerational Mapping Q exhibition.
Thank you to The Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation and one•n•ten for your continued support and partnership. The Mapping Q program is generously supported by the Institute for LGBT Studies and the Edward J. Gallagher Jr. Memorial Fund.
Images:
Elvis G.S. (he/him + they/them), Dark Isolation, 2020, Acrylic and watercolor pens on canvas
Alastair S.-O. (vae/ae/he), Amalgamation, 2022
Sam B. (he/him), Eye see myself, 2022, Acrylic on wood, plastic eyes, sea glass
