The Ohio University LGBT Center hosted an event Aug. 26 at Armory Park that highlighted the queer community in Athens — specifically, those in the community who are interested in art.
Many local students attended the event, including OU graduate students and faculty.
Micah McCarey, OU’s LGBT Center director, hosted and organized the event and said it would bring together Athens locals through highlighting different mediums of art. McCarey was hopeful similar events like this one would be beneficial for LGBTQ+ students and youth who are seeking to make new connections.
“The Athens pride artists meet-up is the first attempt at bringing together LGBTQ community members and their allies who have an affinity for any form of art,” McCarey said. “Whether that's ceramics, painting, jewelry making or music, we recognize that community happens in all kinds of ways. When we can build it around common interests, there can be powerful collaborations and relationship building.’’
The event started off with small introductions and brief historical examinations of the local art within Athens. Athens is rich in historical artistic culture, and centers like the Kennedy Museum of Art and ARTS/West gives the local arts a sense of home.
Emily Beveridge, program specialist at ARTS/West, led several discussions of local art and educated curious attendees about what ARTS/West and the LGBT Center were collaborating on during the upcoming year.
After this discussion, attendees were led to the seating area and courtyard. From there, McCarey invited people to speak about what art means to them and how it influences who they are. Several people decided to speak, and a wide range of mediums were discussed. These ranged from photography and graphic design to painting and jewelry making.
Beveridge was hopeful for the possibilities of other meet-ups during the school year, and she hopes the event resonated with the attendees once they made their way home.
‘’I just hope that people can make connections and also make meaningful plans for LGBTQ centered art events and experiences for the upcoming year,’’ Beveridge said.
Speaking with a few attendees, students like Christian English, an undecided freshman, were ultimately drawn to the idea of more upcoming events. English was happy to have met new people in the LGBTQ+ community who shared similar interests as him.
“I think I found a better place to go,” English said. “I met more people who have similar tastes, like art and theater, and I think if we do more events like this, I will attend.’’
The event concluded with final remarks from McCarey and Beveridge, who were overjoyed at the success of the event. They are excited to see what’s next and hope for events promoting and supporting the arts in Athens.
