LGBTQ+ panel celebrates queer artists in new exhibit

On Nov. 14, a panel of LGBTQ+ artists and allies joined together to discuss Tipton Gallery’s new immersive art experience entitled, “This Skin I’m In: A Visual Narrative of Self.”

The panel included Latina activist Giannina Callejas, Professor Lori Horvitz, drag queen Beullah Land, Pride Community Center of Tri-Cities founder John Baker, First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton pastor Rev. Dr. Brian C. Wyatt, ETSU student Micheal Bumgarner and “This Skin I’m In” co-curators Tema Stauffer and Starr Sariego.

Each panel member took the floor to discuss their LGBTQIA identity and/or relation to the cause, as well as their thoughts on the exhibition.

“We were trying to consider diversity not only in terms of where someone is on the spectrum of LGBTQIA but also thinking about age and race and career and so on,” said Stauffer. “So we really wanted to incorporate diversity.”

The ETSU Department of Art & Design, in collaboration with Bravissima! Women Sponsoring the Arts! and the East Tennessee Foundation, is currently displaying these collections of images and narratives by LGBTQIA members and activists. The exhibition fosters a sense of community and togetherness in celebrating queerness in Appalachia through a series of visual stories. It includes the work of 23 photographers and artists, including several ETSU and Johnson City natives.

The goal of this visual narrative is to spotlight these artists in the way that they wish to be seen. The exhibition invites viewers to consider their perception of LGBTQIA individuals in the eyes of Appalachian culture and society. But most importantly, the objective is to spread the artists’ stories and continuously uplift them.

“I love the beauty of the diversity because that’s what we are, or what I think we are. We are all different vessels and each one is unique in themselves. No one is better and no one is worse,” said Baker. 

“This Skin I’m In” is on display until Nov. 23. The exhibit also offers a free app also titled “This Skin I’m In,” and offers features such as the full show, discussion and thinking points and information on the contributing artists and photographers.

For more information, contact gallery director and curator Karlota Contreras-Koterbay at contrera@etsu.edu.