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Guests discuss Jorgia Finch’s photograph, “Confusing Choices,” at the Show Your Pride student art exhibition reception.
Pride Alliance student club hosted its first-ever Show Your Pride student art exhibition featuring LGBTQIA+ centered works created by Black Hawk College students.
The common thread throughout the students’ artwork was understanding who they are and finding pride in that. Some of the pieces were deeply introspective self-portraits.
Halle Heath with acrylic on crocheted yarn artwork titled “In Progress”
Halle Heath created a multimedia piece consisting of acrylic paint on a crocheted granny square made of cotton yarn.
“As a queer, nonbinary autistic person, my personal growth has centered (on) identifying, understanding, accepting and celebrating these aspects,” Heath wrote in an artist statement.
“The bare unfinished portions (of the piece) represent the rest of my life and the identity that has yet to be discovered or developed,” Heath wrote.
Jorgia Finch’s photograph, “Confusing Choices,” depicts Finch “looking in distress, holding a men’s razor and a slightly raised tube of women’s mascara, trying to decide which way I want to be perceived as, a man or a woman.”
Student Ferreyra exhibited an oil pastel titled “Feminine Shadow.”
“Having a feminine shadow for me means that I tend to forget who I once was,” Ferreyra wrote. “She’s always right behind me and, and I remind myself to bring her into consideration.
“It also comes with a humbling sense that sometimes no matter how masculine I think I am presenting, my shadow, the traits and mannerisms I can’t quite change or hide, will always reveal who I once presented as,” Ferreyra wrote.
Ferreyra discusses the self-portrait “Feminine Shadow” with a guest at the reception for the Show Your Pride student art exhibit.
While the exhibit was at the Quad-Cities Campus, it represented students from both campuses.
East Campus student Mia Merkel had a simple statement with an untitled piece – “Pride can be found within anyone.”
Pride Alliance was established in 2023 and is dedicated to helping BHC students learn about LGBTQ+ resources, events and community on and around campus. Club members emphasize that, “You don’t have to be gay!” to join.
For more information about Pride Alliance, contact advisor Heather Bjorgan.
See more photos from the reception on Facebook.
Show Your Pride student artists Grace Phares, Halle Heath, Lyle Mullins, Jorgia Finch, Jennifer Dehm and Ferreyra. Not pictured – Mia Merkel