LGBTQ Pride Month occurs in the United States to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBTQ people have had on the global community. Gay pride or LGBTQ pride is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and queer people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBTQ rights movements. 

The Pride Month event for The Downstairs Gallery is called Queer In Color and is taking place on June  15th, 17th and 19th from 4pm - 8pm, and will remain open if people are still waiting outside and want to  view the work. Alternatively, there will be a virtual event showcasing works for sale online at  (www.thedownstairspdx.com). We will still be enforcing COVID-19 safety guidelines during the event in  order to keep everyone as safe as possible. 

At Queer In Color viewers will find works that express our artists feelings around self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility for LGBTQ community members, and combinations of those ideas. The Downstairs Gallery also chose works that represent what being queer and/or trans means to our queer/trans artists, and what it means to our non-LGBTQ artists to provide safe spaces for the LGBTQ people in your lives. We believe that each artist has an opportunity to provide unique insight on these topics, and ask that your works center LGBTQ bodies, LGBTQ voices, and/or LGBTQ expression. These works can include paintings and drawings, sculptures and other three dimensional works, digital designs, and video presentations including poetry and prose. 

About the Gallery: 

The Downstairs Gallery began as a question: 

How can we use a space to bring people together in a time when we all have never felt further apart? 

Between social distance and political unrest, civil injustices and global turmoil, The Downstairs Gallery  seeks to be a safe space for groups that have been considered "marginalized" for far too long. 

We seek to provide support for artists based in and around the Portland Metro area who identify as  BIPOC, LGBTQ+ or disabled, and maintain a creative practice relevant to the current time.

Featured image by Kristen Morely