Jerry-Faye Flatt | Queer Voices Amplified in Annual Exhibit

The Perspective | Persistence art exhibit opened July 11. Photo by Jerry-Faye Flatt.

With gatherings limited and social distancing restrictions in place, Fierté Fredericton Pride and Pride NB/Fierté N.B. are focusing on digital ways to celebrate the queer community. 

Perspective | Persistence, an art exhibition meant to showcase the work from queer, trans and QTBIPoC artists, opened with a live-streamed performance by M3D14 on July 11. This is the first rendition of what will be an annual exhibit at Gallery on Queen in collaboration with Fredericton Pride. It can be viewed online, or in-person at 406 Queen St. until July 25. Ten artists are featured in an eclectic display that showcases a wide range of colours and mediums.

“The intention was to focus on the perspectives and persistence of queer, trans and QTBIPoC artists,” said Amelia Thorpe, founding member of Pride NB and co-chair of Fredericton Pride.

Linsay Nickum, also a co-chair of Fredericton Pride and founding member of Pride NB, is a featured artist. One of their pieces is a drawing of a slice of pizza - an eye-catching, grease-dripping, mouth-watering slice that looks as if it was pulled straight out of an oven and captured in a frame. Linsay said they drew the pizza during COVID-19.

Life’s a Slice by Linsay Nickum | Photo by Jerry-Faye Flatt

“I started drawing a bunch of food because I think it's funny to take traditional art methods, especially things like still life, but make it something that's not really that visually appealing - but kind of visually appealing - because you'd like to eat it, but it's not really pretty because it's greasy and gross.”

Linsay’s other works illustrate a heavier topic - one of derogatory terms. The project started when they found a PDF containing the American Sign Language (ASL) depictions of slurs directed at the queer community. One piece, titled 1981(Soap), features green hands on a pink canvas forming the letters B and C, which stands for bath club. This piece represents the bath house raids, where in 1981, the Toronto Police raided four gay bathhouses and arrested almost three hundred people. The other piece is the letters F and G, which is a short version of the fa-word.

Artist Linsay Nickum stands in front of their pieces 1981(Soap) [left] and Chiaroscuro [right]. Photo by Jerry-Faye Flatt.

“I like the idea of reclaiming our own terms and taking the power away from others to use them,” said Linsay.

 Another display of powerful artwork was created by thom vernon. A multidisciplinary artist, he “integrates materialities that attempt to poeticize the unspeakable: living with HIV and trauma since 1987,” according to his artist statement.

Climb. Hives by thom vernon. Photo by Jerry-Faye Flatt

Junior curator Matthias Whalen described thom’s process, explaining that he saved all his antiviral bottles from his HIV medication and used them to create something new. He added paper clippings, copper, steel, text, wood, stone, polymer and plastic.

“He kind of took that diagnosis and flipped it into something beautiful,” said Matthias.

Misha Milchenko’s series called This Body is displayed along the top of the gallery wall. It explores the possible changes to the body when transitioning. Misha’s artist statement says the series of five paintings “explores the trans experience. It conveys the growth and change of the body through hormones and surgery. The change comes with loss, but this is where the flowers bloom.”

Three out of five pieces from Misha Milchenko’s series,This Body.

Perspective | Persistence is up for in-person viewing until July 25. Pride NB and Fredericton Pride will also be presenting another public art project, Visions of Pride, later in the year. Applications are still open to receive an art kit from Endeavours Art. Participants are asked to answer the question, “How do you envision pride?” or “What is your vision of pride?” Each individual piece will be collected from the artist and will be a part of a large mosaic inspired by the Progress Pride Flag. If you would like to participate in this community art project, you can register here.

Fredericton Pride organizer Amelia Thorpe said the media has long portrayed Pride as a party, but at Fredericton Pride, they believe in the importance of Pride as a platform, a place for education and a place to incite dialogue about what matters.

“And for us, this show was intended in part to speak back to the dominant narrative surrounding Pride, and queer and trans and QTBIPoC communities, by focusing instead on the perspectives, and the creations, and the vision of individuals from the community, instead of just some pictures of some folks at a parade.”

Linsay Nickum [left] and Amelia Thorpe [right] are both founding members of Pride NB and co-chairs of Fredericton Pride.

Even though Pride was mostly virtual this year, there were still plenty of ways to get involved, get informed and celebrate queer, trans and QTBIPoC. You can visit Pride NB / Fierté N.-B. and Fierté Fredericton Pride to keep up to date on their latest posts and events.

— Jerry-Faye Flatt

Jerry-Faye Flatt is a summer reporter for CreatedHere Magazine. She’s a recent St. Thomas University grad who double majored in journalism and communications. Flatt spent her final year at university as the Managing Editor of The Aquinian, STU’s official student newspaper, after working as the Arts Editor in her previous year. When she’s not busy out getting the latest scoop, you can find her playing in bands or driving around in her red 1981 Ford econoline van. If you have a story tip, you can contact her at flatt.jerryfaye@gmail.com.