Sedona’s Big Gay Art Show Is More Than Rainbows

Sedona is known for its majestic red rocks scenery and mysticism, but during Pride month in June, it’s also one of the most openly queer-friendly spots in Arizona, thanks to the Big Gay Art Show in the heart of uptown.

The juried exhibit, which runs June 5-28 at the Sedona Arts Center, features 51 emerging and professional artists from around the nation, said Julie Richard, the organization’s CEO.

Many artists will attend the opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 5, she noted, in case people want to meet them. She estimated about a third of the artists are local, but many make the trip from elsewhere.

“We’ve always been a place where creativity and individuality are celebrated,” said Richard, who identifies as an ally. “We feel everyone deserves to feel seen and respected and welcome.”

Art by and for the queer community

Works for the Big Gay Art Show can be works by LGBTQ+ artists or allies, but they must be relevant to the queer community, Richard noted.

“That doesn’t mean everything has to be rainbows, [but] we do get a lot of rainbows,” she laughed. Many pieces have a love theme, she said.

Sometimes the connection is obvious by appearance, other times it’s via a title, she said. Or, the artist will provide a backstory: A landscape or abstract painting might resonate with them and their partner, Richard said.

“The story behind the piece is just as important as the piece itself,” she added, “and we look for that.”

The jury chooses a variety of styles, content and media, and looks for pieces that are out of the ordinary, Richard said. One artist this year creates hanging works from chain mail, she said, and they also received many entries this year from fiber artists.

Most works are for sale; prices range from the low hundreds to the “many thousands” of dollars, Richard said. Cash prizes of $500, $250 and $150 are given for first through third place, and there’s a People’s Choice award and five honorable mentions.

Leo Vincent, 67, of Cottonwood, who entered for the first time last year and won first place for an acrylic painting, submitted another this year. “Unspoken Word” depicts a cowboy and an Indian from the chest up in black and white against a crimson background.

Vincent said it’s an honor to be part of the show, and he explained that it shows how much more freedom queer people have today than when he was young. His generation lived through the Stonewall uprising and AIDS epidemic, he said, and gay bashing was much more common, even just two or three decades ago.

“I like going to these events and meeting people, especially the younger generation, and having conversations with them,” Vincent said. “A lot of them know the history, but a lot of them don’t.”

He added, “By participating in shows like this, we can show our pride through our artwork.”

Sedona’s growth as an arts hub

Sedona has long been an arts hub. In the mid-1950s, Dr. Harry Wood, chair of Arizona State University’s art department, and Nassan Gobran, an instructor, brought an accredited six-week summer art program from the university to the area.

The Sedona Arts Center was an outgrowth of that, Richard explained, and was incorporated in 1958. Today, the center is not only a gallery but also a learning center, with roughly 1,400 students—80 percent of whom are from outside Arizona— annually attending classes and workshops.

The Big Gay Art Show began in 2012 as part of Sedona Pride, which has since disbanded. For many years, Richard said, it ran for only two or three days over the July 4 holiday weekend.

There was no show in 2020 due to COVID, she said, and Sedona Arts Center was asked to take it on in 2021.

Previously, the show featured mostly Sedona artists and everyone was accepted, but the center changed it to a national, juried event. It was also moved to June, the traditional Pride month, and expanded to multiple weeks.

Richard said after the show was expanded, many artists told the center how grateful they were to see their community, individuality and creativity being celebrated.

“That really, really resonated with me,” she said. “That made me feel really good about what we are doing.”

Despite the battles LGBTQ+ people continue to face, particularly in light of the current sociopolitical climate, the center has never received negative feedback about the show, according to Richard.

“It’s always been very positive,” she said. “That shows there is a lot of support in Sedona for this community.”

Big Gay Art Show

When: Opening 4-6 p.m. Friday, June 5; regular hours are noon to 5 p.m. daily through June 28
Where: Sedona Arts Center, 15 Art Barn Road, Sedona, AZ 86336
Contact: 928-282-3809; sedonaartscenter.org