Cultural Arts: Galleries

Chronology of Exhibits

1998

Beyond Memorials and Symbols: Artist Living with HIV/AIDS
A group exhibit reflecting experiences of living with HIV/AIDS through art

Erotica, collaboration with VIVA, the Latino Artists Collective
Group exhibit: the art of lesbian erotica by Latina artists

1999

Bill Rangel: Portals, Pains, and Interviews
A 15-year retrospective of work by the acclaimed Southern California artist.

Passing the Torch: A Senior-Youth Photo Project
The first of 18 annual exhibits of photography produced by LGBT seniors and youth from the Center’s transitional living program, following 6-8 weeks of classes and location shooting.

2000

Circumstances Beyond Our Control, collaboration with Being Alive Art Workshop

Visible for a Change: The Art of Lorraine Inzalaco
Large, lush paintings that meld an earthy spirit and the full bloom of love between wymyn.

2001

Miguel Angel Reyes: After Midnight
Solo exhibit by the widely exhibited Latinx artist and educator.

Michael Childers and Alex Aleixo: Glamourous: The Power of Being Envied
A two-person show featuring portraits by Michael Childers, the renowned film, dance and theatre photographer; and erotically-charged digital collages by the Brazil-born LA artist Alex Aleixo.

Alex Gibson and Paul Trantow: OUT in the Cold
Two-person exhibit: Photographs of the difficult lives of LGBT street youth

2002

ArtWallah: The Festival of the South Asian Diaspora
A collaboration with The South Asian Artists Collective & The Indo-European Cultural Center

Sandow Birk: Historical Works from Stonewall and Beyond
Named one of the five most interesting artists in the city by Los Angeles Magazine, Birk utilizes the genre of historical painting to place the LGBT movement within the long tradition of civil rights struggles.

2003

I Want Muscle: The Brawny Male in American Art of the 1930s
Art Lecture by Jonathan Weinberg: One of a series of art history lectures presented by the Advocate & Gochis Galleries’ curator, Marc Arranaga.

En Mi Barrio: Paintings by Sergio Vasquez
Portraits painted by award-winning Mexican American artist

Bubbles Goes Gay! The Art of Bubbles the Artist (represented by Allee Willis)
Fanciful portraits and ceramics by the never-seen-in-public Bubbles the Artist (alter-ego of Grammy Award-winning songwriter Allee Willis)

2004

Of Mythic Re-Proportions: Emerging Queer Artists Reinterpret Myth & Archetype

Latino Art L.A.
A group exhibit featuring works by Yolanda Gonzalez, José Lozano, Rafael Matias, Angela Maria Ortiz S., Margaret Garcia

2005

Women Photographers
Group exhibit: Kenna Love, Melanie Jones, Valerie Friedman, Angela Mariz Ortiz S, Emma Friedland, Nancy Walters. Curated by The Dream Gallery.

Dreams of Passion: The Art of Ariel Vargassal
Lush, symbolic paintings by a rising L.A. artist.

2006

Strange Beauty and Iconic Portraits, by Austin Young
Dynamic photographic portraits of avant-garde artists and performers

Brushstrokes & Watercolors: A collection of color photographs by Doug Bisson
Award-winning photographer’s essay on tranquility and the stillness underlying all creation.

2007

You Don’t Know Me Like That: Images of Race and Sexuality from the Robert E. Holmes Collection
A stunning selection of masterworks from the collection of Robert E. Holmes, one of the foremost collectors of African, African American, and Latinx art.

Aqui No Hay Virgenes: Queer Latina Visibility
A collaboration with Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibits (LACE). Group show featuring the work of Alice Bag, Nao Bustamante (with Matt Johnstone), Diane Gamboa, Alma Lopez, Delilah Montoya & Shizu Saldamando

Anima Rising: A Group Exhibition
Exploring the androgynous self.  Wolfgang Bauer, Eleni Diamantopoulos, Leta Evaskus, Andrew Printer, Julia Schwartz

2008

Transcending Boundaries
First Transgender Photo Project, curated by Shane Louisell and Allison Santos. Works by F&G Photography, Max Madrigal, Jen Rosenstein

Tierra de Maravillas/Wonderland: The Art of Ariel Vargassal
Second solo exhibit of paintings by Ariel Vargassal

2009

Queercraft
A group exhibition in collaboration with the Queer Caucus for Art (an affiliated society of the College Art Association)
Artists:  Marc Adelman, Liz Collins & Knitting Nation, Steve Frost, Jinson Joseph, M.E. Lee, Margaret Matsuyama, Kat O’Brien, Anne Potter, Emmet Ramstadt, Kate Repka, Tracy Steepy, Genevieve Waller

Velvet Gaze
Group exhibit of lesbian photographers.  Artists:  Lola Flash, Katie Koti, Cora Lambert, Molly Landreth

The Agony & the Ecstasy
Paintings, Silk Screens, Sculptures & Drawings by Mark Oberlin
Presenting an array of subjects: homoerotic desire, altered states of consciousness that journey between heaven and hell, surreal landscapes that offer a refuge from oppression.

2010

Transcending Boundaries: Transgender Art Show
Featuring works by Matt Nishii, Isabella McGrath, Allison Santos, Shane Louisell

Gods & Monsters
Group exhibition: Divine and ghastly art by Scott Riddle, Eric October, Jen Heaslip

2011

Consciousness: Ancestral! Abstract! Audacious!
A collaboration with The Black LGBT Project, C. Jerome Woods, founder
Artists: David Payne, Duane Paul, Katrice Jackson, Ronald Jackson, Janet Nicholson, Greg McNeal, Shaunté Johnson, Byrd Bettis

Apocalypse: Keith Haring
First showing of the complete Apocalypse series by the late Keith Haring, donated to the Center by Tyler Cassity.

FAIR: Art of Action
Shepard Fairey’s “Love Unites” posters, personalized by luminaries in politics, music, acting.
Exhibits of CountMeOut social media campaign.

40 Years of Family: A Historical Retrospective of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
Celebrating our 40th year of service. Exhibit includes Center timeline and historical materials, as well as a separate space for the Center’s 30 years of serving people living with HIV/AIDS.

2012

I See You, I Am Here
Celebrating Black History Month.  A group show of five contemporary African American artists: Ronald Jackson, Luckyvirgo Photography, Dale Guy Madison, Duane Paul, Cheryl Williams. Also a display of original jewelry by famed disco singer Sylvester.

In the Making: Dreamers in Transition
A collaboration between artist Francisco Cabas and participants in the Center’s transitional living program.

Mariposas Presente
An exhibit of prints by Latino/a artists. Collaboration with Self Help Graphics

Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson
A collaboration with Jane Anderson. World premiere exhibit.

2013

S.H.E.: Art of S.A. Bachman, Mary Grace McKernan, Joan Scheibel
Celebrating International Women’s Day

Art of Andrew Overtoom
Photography by cinematographer known for his work on SpongeBob Squarepants.

Electric Summer: Art of Nona Hendryx and Gina Raphaela
Prints, paintings, and photos.

Appeal: Beauty, Race, Intimacy - Art of Mira Gandy

2014

Hard: Politics, Religion and Personal Preference
Art from the CCH POUNDER Collection

Bi: Life on the Spectrum
Group show in conjunction with the AmBi, an LA bisexual organization.

2015

Chaired: The Personal Seating Choices of CCH Pounder
Long-time collector CCH Pounder’s interests include chairs, stool, benches, and others to reflect the artistic results of African functionality.

We Can Be Heroes: Trans Pride Exhibit
The first of three annual exhibits celebrating elders of the movement for Trans liberation. Subjects were chosen and painted by Trans artists from the Center’s homeless youth program.

Daniel Ribera: #FashionArt
Local artist Daniel Ribera explores the world of fashion through a queer lens.

2016

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
A photo retrospective celebrating 35 years of the groundbreaking public service/queer liberation organization.

Dragangeles: A Celebration of Los Angeles and West Hollywood Drag Creativity, History, and Art
A major installation in the West Hollywood Library complete with a history of drag in LA, a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Los Angeles branch of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, culminating in a historic gathering and group photo, by acclaimed photographer Austin Young, of more than 100 area drag artists. A collaboration with West Hollywood Library.

2017

My Life in Code: The Art of Danielle Paris
Geometric paintings inspired by life experiences, politics, religion, and pop culture, each incorporating circles and rectangles that spell various words in Morse code.

Antipatriarchal Masculinities: Art of Sugiyama
Photography meditating on various embodiments of masculine identification and a refutation of the gender binary.

2018

Trans Experience: A Life of Celebration
A group exhibit curated by Leon Mostovoy. Images and deeply moving stories honoring and celebrating our Trans elders. The artworks were developed and created in a series of classes conducted by artist/instructors for the Center’s Senior Services program.  

Everybody Black
Commemorating Black History Month, a group exhibit curated by Christopher Atkins celebrating black lives, culture, and experience.

Trans Pride: Let Me Show You Something Beautiful and My Life Recoded
Photography by Kimberlee Acquaro; paintings by Danielle Paris
A stunning selection of oversized photographs of trans individuals by Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Kimberlee Acquaro, each inscribed with personal reflections by the subjects themselves. A second exhibit by trans artist Danielle Paris of paintings that incorporate Morse code as both design and content elements.

Womxn On Womxn
Group exhibit exploring the landscapes of desire and pleasure of the intersections of diverse women. Curated by Essence Harden and Erin Adams.

2019

Let Me Come Home
Group exhibit curated by Alan Barrows, focusing on issues of home and homelessness.

Liberación: From Volcanoes to Hope
A group exhibit inspired by stories told by the artists’ parents and grandparents about leaving their homes in El Salvador in search of a better future. Curated by Salvies Who Lunch for CineArte 2019.

2020

Moment to Moment: A Celebration of Black History Month
A group show featuring six gifted young African American artists, spotlighting a spectrum of the Black experience, from daily life and the ravages of oppression to celebrating black heroes in the arts.

SKEW: Black Dreams, Futures & Mutual Support
Curated by Level Ground
Curated by the grassroots arts collective Level Ground, in conjunction with the release of their annual experimental art + dialog magazine, SKEW. Featuring artworks by 28 Black artists from around the US and abroad.

2021

DARKNESS/LIGHT
A group exhibit featuring the work of Ajamu, Jo Ann Block, Dannywolfchild, Mark Dektor, Marian Jones, Leon Mostovoy, and Chris J. Russo.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
A solo exhibit featuring the photography of Anthony Patrick Manieri. This project takes on the subject of body shame among men of all races, shapes, and abilities by portraying nude men in elegant and exciting dance poses. “If we exist, we’re beautiful.”