By David Elliott Waterman
Pride is defined as confidence and self-respect as expressed by members of a group, typically one that has been socially marginalized on the basis of their shared identity, culture, and experience. There are common threads within the LGBTQ+ community yet, how we celebrate pride and what it means to us is unique to our own individuality.
There’s no one expression, nor emotion or experience that is the same and that’s the beauty of it. For myself, Pride is like the arts, a blend of sounds, visuals, textures, smells, movement and observations. There’s also a social justice component; creating opportunities to blend the two while bringing my community and others like myself together is most important.
In 2019, with pen and paper in hand, Pride Community Arts (PCA) went from an idea to reality. There was an opportunity to gather my community and create a space for queer and non-binary artists and creatives of color. Pride Community Arts was not crafted from any particular rejection or exclusion, however it was created to provide a platform that’s uniquely ours and representative of those who share the space.
“It allowed me to be my full brown queer self and I’m glad it gives that space for people to come in and feel the same,” Sneha Jayaraj Menon, one of the artists who participated in the 2019 Pride Community Arts Exhibit and Arts Series. Sneha wrote, “It was everything.
Being amongst beautifully artistic black and brown artists first of all was amazing and glad I could talk about Ardhanarishvara (a Hindu deity that equally embodies the feminine and masculine energies) when people asked me to talk more about fluidity in South Asian and indigenous communities in general. It was very inspirational”.
Others, including myself, found the tribute to Marsha P. Johnson inspiring. Photographs of the iconic activist were displayed at the entrance of Free Center which was the home of the 2019 Pride Community Arts Exhibit & Arts Series. As those tell the story, it was the bravery of Marsha P. Johnson and others who fought back during the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 and gave birth to the Stonewall riots, also known as the Stonewall uprising.
And while Gay Pride is primarily celebrated during in the month June, being proud of who you are and living as one’s authentic self is too big for one month. To navigate through “isms,” multiple layers of oppression and failed systems takes bravery. Jonni Casillas, one of the 2019 performing artists, shared, “It was the first time that I was able to actually share my creation and art freely without fear and express who I am, in terms of my identity. It was a very safe space and I’m glad that Pride Community Arts gave me that opportunity. While I’m not much of a performer, I’m excited when I think that someone will get something out of the music I create. I think creation is a part of the cycle of existence, rather people agree with me or not, I think it’s a necessity.”
While the pandemic has impacted our lives in many ways, the arts and the talents of creatives continues. Pride Community Arts will host the 2020 Summer Series virtually during the month of June. Thursday, June 4, we are broadcasting highlights of the 2019 Arts Exhibit and Arts Series. Clips from the Poetry & Performance Night and the Artist’s Talk will be shown followed by a Q+A with some of the 2019 participants.
Thursday, June 25 PRIDE Community Arts will host “Creative Journey,” a conversation with non-binary, gender fluid artists and creative persons of color in collaboration with Kamora’s Cultural Corner. During this online conversation, queer artists and creatives of color will discuss the impact of the pandemic on the arts and creative platforms.
The Sankofa Fall Series is scheduled to take place in October 2020. For the Fall Series we’re including creatives in the fields of culinary arts and textiles and fibers. The Ballroom and House community is at the core of PCA and this year we will host the Sankofa Mini Ball with a panel of legendary judges. For more information about Pride Community Arts and upcoming events, please visit our website at https://www.pridecommunityarts.com/.
David Waterman is a Hartford resident, bicultural product of two migrant farm workers, social worker (LMSW), artist, photographer, creator, and curator/organizer, CORE Team Member and Creator of Resistance with Kamora’s Cultural Corner.
