If you’re an artist whose creations express allyship with LGBTQ+ Pride, at least five events in Iowa and Illinois are putting out a call for your work, with deadlines for submission coming May 23 through June 1.
Groups in Dubuque, Ia., the two-state Quad Cities, Petersburg in central Illinois, Waukegan just north of Chicago, and a Cook County-sponsored youth art show are all nearing deadlines to submit artwork for show.
Some of the events are specifically to honor the featured artists and their themes, while at least one is a fundraiser for the sponsoring group. All of the events are built around the Pride month of June, which has been connected worldwide with LGBTQ+ rights since the June 28, 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City. Here’s a look at where you can still submit your work, and how it will be shared with the public:
The Art of Pride: Celebrating the Queer Experience from the Midwest Experience, takes place at Smokestack and is a collaboration between DBQ Pride and the Dubuque Area Artists Collective.
Art of Pride: Celebrating the Midwest Queer Experience (Dubuque, Ia.) Tomorrow (May 23) is the deadline to submit your artwork to “Art of Pride: Celebrating the Midwest Queer Experience,” an exhibit from the Dubuque Area Arts Collective. This art show “showcases the work of LGBTQ+ artists and allies from the region, offering a kaleidoscope of perspectives on the queer experience.” You can submit artwork for consideration if you are an LGBTQ+ person, or an ally, and gallery operator Ivonne Simmonds says she’ll extend Thursday’s deadline for artists that reach out in the next few days. An opening reception to celebrate the work will take place June 7 at SmokeStack, 62 E. 7th St., and the selected work will remain on display at the Collective, above Smokestack, through June 28.
The first-ever LGBTQ+ Youth Art Competition is sponsored by openly LGBTQ+ Cook County Commissioners Kevin Morrison, Anthony Quezada, and Maggie Trevor.
Pride is Power! LGBTQ+ Art Competition (Cook County, Ill.) Cook County high schoolers and college students have until Friday to deliver their artwork for consideration in the “Pride is Power!” art competition, the county’s first-ever such event devoted to LGBTQ+-themed art. Winners will be honored at the June 13 Cook County School Board meeting, and may also be featured at other events. Find physical drop-off locations and other guiding information here.
Clock Inc.’s art auction helps raise money for the community center, and artists will be on display at Figge Art Museum.
Clock Inc. Art Auction (Quad Cities, Illinois and Iowa) Artists who want to help raise money for Clock Inc. LGBT+ Community Center – and have their work on display at Figge Art Museum – have until Thurs., May 30, to submit their work. Donated pieces will be auctioned online June 6 in a fundraiser for Clock Inc., which serves both sides of the Quad Cities with support groups, social events, transgender support services, counseling and more. Email info@clockinc.org to submit your work for auction.
Artists have until June 1 to submit their work to this juried show in Petersburg, Ill.
Artist’s Pride: Pieces of the Holistic World (Petersburg, Ill.) Artists near Petersburg in central Illinois have until Fri., May 31, to submit their work to “Artist’s Pride: Pieces of the Holistic World.” Sponsored and coordinated by Perspectives Art Gallery, this juried show will provide a cash prize to three of the artists that will be displayed. This show is open to artists who identify as LGBTQIA and will be up at Perspectives, 112 S. 6th St., from June 22 to July 13. To submit your work, click on this link.
This collaboration between two nonprofits, the Dandelion Gallery & Studio and Waukegan Friends, is receiving submissions of both visual and performing artists.
Celebrating Pride: “Through the Eyes of Visual Artists (Waukegan, Ill.) The Pride organization Waukegan Friends is teaming up with the nonprofit Dandelion Gallery & Studios on “Celebrating Pride,” and you have until June 1 to submit your work here for consideration. This show is devoted to “artwork that expresses the authentic viewpoints of LGBTQ+ artists,” and to “uplifting LGBTQ+ voices, recognizing LGBTQ+ history, and fighting discrimination.” Performing artwork is welcome, along with visual art. Selected work will be on display during a June 13 reception, and a June 15 Art Wauk. Submit your work by June 1 here.
If you’re a group or studio encouraging artists to share their work for an LGBTQ+ Pride event email reachus@therealmainstream.com to be added to this article.
