For the third year, Anouk Rawkson and Jordan Christianson bring you a gallery of powerful, boundless, and queer-as-fuck artwork in the form of Still Mighty Real at Vermillion Art Gallery throughout Pride month. At the opening reception on June 12 as part of Capitol Hill Art Walk, you can expect to see a wide range of queer-made pieces ranging from garments to paintings, photography, and even a vending machine of kawaii dolls.
With previous years being titled Mighty Real and Mighty Realer, this year’s gallery especially emboldens the necessary reminder that “we’ve been here, we are here, we will always be here, henny!” Amid the tidal wave of conservative politics and rising costs of just about everything, Still Mighty Real fortifies an accessible space for community to engage with art, resources for artists, and the celebration of self-expression. This year features work from a robust roster, including both Christianson and Rawkson, as well as Kerstin Graudins, David van der Linden, Tara Thomas, Kelly O, Nell Kerr, Julianee Mendoza, Varin Volk, Ham West, Samara Dot Ghoul, Harlen Munsö, and Sidney Woodruff. It will also feature archival posters from ’80s and ’90s gay bars provided by Doghouse Leathers, and projection visuals by Rajah Makonnen.
As Christianson says, another reason for this year’s title is in response to “all the push back on our community, trying to tamp us down. Historically, it’s happened over and over and over, and we’re more equipped now because there’s more people who are comfortable with standing up and being loud.”
Continue reading »