Arts Benicia Challenges Gender Norms
Summer exhibition
Artists defy societal conventions at an exhibition hosted by Arts Benicia, titled “I. We. They. Celebrations of Gender.” The showcase aims to underscore the transformative influence of art in promoting acceptance, as artists selected for the event delve into the resilience and intricacy of LGBTQ+ experiences, presenting a diverse spectrum of gender identities through mediums such as photography, sculpture, and painting.
“It is exciting to see how artists that share these identities use their artwork to celebrate, uplift, complicate, and portray the many facets of our lives” said Dr. Thea Quiray Tagle, a Filipinx femme transdisciplinary scholar and associate curator at Brown University. They served as the juror for the exhibit.
The “I. We. They. Celebrations of Gender” exhibition held a member-only preview on May 30 before opening to the public on June 1 through July 21. Organizers anticipate that the artworks and narratives will cultivate an atmosphere where gender diversity is embraced as natural and beautiful. “I am less interested in fostering acceptance of women, nonbinary, and LGBTQ people, and more interested in the proliferation of powerful and complex images of our thriving communities,” said Dr. Quiray Tagle.
Arts Benicia has been in operation for over 37 years. “We always try to come up with a mix of exhibitions every year and wanted to do this exhibit to celebrate Pride Month,” said Celeste Smeland, executive director of the nonprofit. While many contributing artists hail from local and national spheres, she said they received submissions from international artists in Mexico, Canada, and China. Smeland highlighted the global reach of the exhibition despite logistical hurdles such as shipping costs.
Dr. Quiray Tagle said that they believe gender and sexuality have limitless expressions and hopes that the exhibition opens conversations about both. Their juror statement highlights specific artworks that reveal hidden aspects of life and celebrate diversity. Paintings by Nathaniel Bice, Jovanna Brisco, Anne Magratten, and Jing Bice “find innovative ways to illuminate modes of living which are too often hidden from public view,” while drawings by Gary Miller celebrate “a campy and queer flourish that venerates queer intimacy” and those by Artemis Schatzkin, “a celebration of beautiful diversity found in nature, a potent reminder when so much about queer identity is portrayed as unnatural.” They also pointed out that the sculptures by Melissa Felderman and Sandy Frank “encompass what is most compelling about the artworks when taken as a whole: The vast range of everyday experiences, identities, and expressions of gender and sexuality, and the power of art to celebrate, reveal, and render them spectacular.”
Smeland said Arts Benicia remains committed to presenting six distinct exhibitions annually, acknowledging the significant time and effort required for installation and dismantling, but nevertheless promising a rich and varied experience for visitors. She said the organization is keen on expanding its younger audience base by staying attuned to emerging trends, including the intersection of artificial intelligence and art.
Arts Benicia serves as a vital platform for visual arts, offering exhibitions and inclusive educational programming that reflects the region’s racial and cultural diversity while fostering outreach to historically marginalized communities. You can view art pieces from the exhibit here.
