“Reclaiming My Time” – Congresswoman Maxine Waters

With the recent Supreme Court judgment on Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, it’s no wonder our community is feeling more and more threatened on a daily basis.

From the current administration’s policies to the increase in LGBTQ targeted violence, it’s starting to feel like our rights are being chipped away every day.

However, none of us are alone. We all see how the White House has tried to erase LGBTQ people from view. We recognize the daily struggle to retain our dignity and equality, and have been furious to witness our transgender family members being targeted.

But just as California Congresswoman Maxine Waters “reclaimed her time,” we’ve had enough, too.

That’s why Metrosource, in partnership with One World Observatory, developed Reclaiming My Pride, an art contest intended to return us to our roots of Community, Creativity and Charity and show the world we are stronger than ever.

Art With Purpose

Reclaiming My Pride launched in April with a call to artists to submit works to demonstrate what pride means to them.

The program was developed not only as an outlet for our community, but as a benefit for The Ali Forney Center to simultaneously give the next generation of creators a new platform to share their voices with the world.

“The contest succeeded on levels that really took us by surprise,” said Metrosource Marketing Director Ryan Christopher.

“We received more than a hundred submissions across multiple media that reflect Pride across the community. The range of what we received was both stunning and gratifying. There were rape survival stories, experiences of living trans; I mean the whole gamut, across the strata of culture and gender.”

Most importantly of all, says Christopher, the contest gave voice to many who have felt stifled in post-Obama America.

“In this politically charged environment. We wanted to provide an opportunity for emerging and established artists to not only express themselves but to foster a sense of community,” he said.

“Our hope is that this program becomes a lasting place of comfort and inspiration. Through the sharing of personal stories, our community has always found solidarity. We were incredibly humbled by the quality and depth of what artists chose to share with us, and we’ll be releasing more of their stories across all of the Metrosource platforms soon.”

Now It’s up to the Judges

Metrosource’s team narrowed down the incredible work to 10 finalists. These finalists were sent to an esteemed panel of judges, who include:

Contemporary painter Scooter LaForge

Contemporary painter Elisabeth Condon

Pioneering 3D video artist Ali Hossaini

Mixed media artist Fawn Rogers

Gallerist/curator Christopher Pusey

Scott Frankel , Tony-nominated composer of Broadway musicals including War Paint and Grey Gardens

, Tony-nominated composer of Broadway musicals including War Paint and Grey Gardens Senior Manager of Groups and Tourism, Laval Bryant of the Brooklyn Museum

of the Brooklyn Museum Author and Comic book artist Bill Schelly

The panel is currently reviewing the finalist entries in order to select a winner, who will be revealed at a special invitation-only event on June 20th.

Meet the Judges

Announcing the Finalists

We are thrilled to recognize our diverse group of finalists.

The 2018 Reclaiming My Pride Finalists Are:

Stay tuned for the big reveal on June 21st, when we will announce the grand prize winner.

A Thank You to All

Metrosource, on behalf of our partners, would like to thank all of the incredible artists who submitted pieces to this contest. We were blown away by the touching stories, brilliant creativity and passion put into each one of these beautiful works of art. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for sharing your talents with us.

art exhibitions charity community contest pride reclaiming my pride

Last modified: November 14, 2018