The first gallery show for Eastside LGBTQIA artists was held at the Centro Cultural Mexicano from June 1 – 26, 2021. Many thanks to the directors and staff of the CCM for hosting the Opening Week reception on Saturday, June 5th from 1 pm to 3 pm.
Our Artists
We would like to thank the following Eastside LGBTQIA+ artists for sharing their creations with us.
Mary Dispenza
Pronouns: She/Her
Mary Dispenza is a proud lesbian living with her spouse in Bellevue, WA. She is a former member of the LGBTQ+ Childcare Task Force and longtime activist for marriage equality.
Amber Duan
Pronouns: She/They
Amber is a bisexual queer artist who lives in Sammamish. She explores the themes of race and sexuality in her work.
Jack L
Pronouns: He/him
Jack is an IT worker who works in Redmond and lives on the Eastside. He identifies as a gender non-conforming individual on the asexual spectrum.
Aaron Kapilivsky
Pronouns: He/Him/They/Them
Aaron is a hispanic asexual cis man living in Redmond. They are a hobbyist yarncrafter who began learning in 2017.
Dahra Perez Mendez
Pronouns: She/Her
Dahra Perez is a bisexual artist living in Redmond. Her work explores landscapes. She likes to experiment with acrylic and gouache painting, incorporating mixed media to push realism in her work.
Wing Mui
Pronouns: She/They
Wing is a trans woman who lives in Redmond. She works with many media but got her start in fiber arts.
Tomás Narvaja
Pronouns: They/Them/He/Him
Tomás is a queer artist living in Bellevue who takes a mixed media approach to art surrounding themes of belonging, representation, and their cat, Magic.
Lily Pezzee
Pronouns: She/They
Lily is a lesbian student from Woodinville who experiments with portraying difficult topics like mental health. She works primarily with digital media.
Gou Qi
Pronouns: They/Them
Gou Qi is a genderqueer immigrant who lives in Redmond. They create digital art inspired by traditional East Asian brush painting
“Rainbow on the Eastside” was originally scheduled for June 2020, which came at a time of national mourning and soul-searching. Pride has its roots in the Stonewall rebellion against unjust policing.
With this history in mind, we invite you to learn more about Black-led LGBTQ organizations that continue working to resist injustice in present times, such as the LGBTQ+ Freedom Fund, a organization that posts bail for LGBTQ people held in jail or immigrant detention, and the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, which organizes to protect the rights of black transgender people.
Organizations in the Greater Seattle Area:
- Earth Pearl Collective is a collective of queer women of the African Diaspora dedicated to activating social change through creative collaborations.
- People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) is a black-led multicultural social service agency providing HIV/AIDS prevention while also addressing transphobia, homophobia and other issues that contribute to health disparities.
More Black-led LGBTQ organizations are listed at https://stylecaster.com/black-led-lgbtq-organizations/