“History isn’t something you look back at and say it was inevitable. It happens because people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities.”
Marsha P. Johnson
This month, Seeds acknowledges LGBTQ+ Pride Month! We’re highlighting exhibitions that explore and celebrate queer and trans gender identity. I Love You Like Mirrors is on view at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, a debut solo photography show by Coyote Park, a two-spirit, Indigenous (Yurok), Korean-American transgender artist. Park’s work is hung alongside a selection of works from the Museum’s permanent collection, chosen by Park as inspiration for the exhibition. We feature an interview with queer artist Baruch Porras Hernandez, who shares about the ties between creativity and queerness, and expresses gratitude to the next generation of Gen Z queer artists who are “tearing down the oppressors.” With a spotlight on the history of AIDS and the LGBTQ+ community, we offer a story on Larry Stanton, a portrait painter who documented many of the gay men who would be lost to a tragic epidemic.
Our Seedlings stories this month reflect the ways that a desire to pursue the arts can be rooted in early childhood memories. Emmanuel Pavon tells us about how renowned animator Richard Williams influenced his interests in the arts when he was young, as he watched and admired his cartoons. Dexter Magratten shares that the path to becoming an artist is a natural progression for him, as his love for the arts stems from his childhood. Victoria Dawidowicz dreams of becoming an art teacher, and in her current work tutoring a young person, hopes to instill a meaningful, lifelong passion for the arts. We look forward to the ways that studying at the League will continue to allow these Seedlings to grow and mature as emerging artists.
Check back next month for our July newsletter!
Jason Villemez
Baruch Porras Hernandez: Multiple mediums, infinite joy
miss rosen
