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Media Contact:
Christie Marcy
LGBTQIA+ Youth Invited to Participate in a Program Bridging Art and Identity
APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 22, 2018 at 11:59 p.m.
Workshop Dates and Time: 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Thursdays from February 15 to April 19, 2018, with the Out Loud group exhibition opening May 4, 2018
Grades: 9-12
Cost: Free
The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art's Out Loud program is an artistic platform for youth voices in the LGBTQIA+ community. Through explorations in contemporary art and the creation of a museum exhibition featuring their own artwork, students build their capacity for self-expression and cultivate their sense of agency as important contributors to our society. The program promotes a supportive space for interactions with peers, mentors and the greater community, helping students build positive social connections and share their experiences with others.
Teenagers who don't conform to cultural expressions of sexual, romantic and gender identities and orientations have unique experiences and ideas that are too often dismissed by society. The Out Loud workshop provides opportunities for teens to challenge mainstream ideas and assumptions of who they are, reject attempts that reduce them to simple caricatures and addresses oppression as they experience it in their own lives.
"Young LGBTQ people endure the hurtful and isolating consequences of societal messages that portray them as different and less than. Out Loud provides participants with resources and support, to encourage them to develop their creativity, enact their inner sense of power, and build a support network for one another," says Elly Baldwin, curator of public engagement at UMOCA.
Past Out Loud Participants have said:
- "What we say matters."
- "Voices of our community have been silenced for too long. Programs like this save lives."
- "Out Loud is a great opportunity to meet people who relate to your situation and create art projects that are super fun and creative! I walked out of this program sad that I had to leave, but happy because I learned so much and had a very positive experience. I highly recommend this program."
- "The experience of Out Loud is something I couldn't ever appraise. I had so much fun, I made new friends, I felt welcomed by staff, I felt so accepted and validated. Out Loud has an atmosphere of love, pride and learning. It saved me from rejection, sadness and disillusionment, and gave me the motivation I need to succeed."
- "I enjoyed sharing space in an institution that has historically excluded artists of color and queer artists. It is a truly amazing and priceless experience to be able to hold space in an institution without the need to hide my identities."
UMOCA encourages students in grades 9 through 12 to apply for our Spring 2018 Out Loud program. Applications are due January 22, 2018 at 11:59 p.m.
A Dropbox folder with selected images of last year's end-of-program gallery show can be found here.
Thank You to Our Supporters:
The LGBTQ Community Endowment Fund at the Community Foundation of Utah and the B.W. Bastian Foundation.
About the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art
About the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art
The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) has advanced and elevated the community of contemporary arts and culture since it was established in 1931.
UMOCA is a fearless voice for innovation, experimentation and dialogue surrounding the topics of our time. Located in the heart of Salt Lake City, UMOCA invites curiosity and promotes understanding of the challenging concepts that art and its reflective social commentary can present. UMOCA is a force for social transformation that unites all points of view, backgrounds, experience and ages through pertinent art exhibitions and educational programming. UMOCA evokes change, challenges ideologies, celebrates triumph and introduces an array of contemporary voices with in the museum and throughout the community.
UMOCA is a five-time recipient of funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation and a 2015 and 2016 recipient of the Art Works Grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
UMOCA is a 501c3 institution that is supported by public foundation, and corporate gifts. Your donation in any amount is greatly appreciated and admission is a $5 suggested donation.
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