LGBTQ+ Artists of Sacramento

 Regarding LGBTQ+ folk, so many of us are artists and make a big chunk of the art industry. With lack of representation and discrimination, that isn't even thought about by most art galleries and art viewers. Just like I want to support and bring attention to the community in general, I want to highlight the people who truly bring the art world into existence. Through this fundraiser, I hope to support queer artists through exposure (sharing their work and info), and financially (selling their work and receiving donations at the end of the event). I want to give the opportunity and share the love with my LGBTQ+ artists, and see them shine in front of a supportive community that wants them to be exposed too. We are quite a large group of people in the creative workplace (cosmetology, visual arts, theatre, fashion) and I would like to bring awareness to this in my local community. 

1. As I write this, I am searching for artists to feature. I am hoping to feature 20 artists (maximum), ages 16+. I have a few people in mind, but after receiving our goal, (maybe even exceeding) I will be searching for more. Depending on how much we exceed, I can add more than 20, but 20 artists are my limit regarding the request of $7000 as I want to fund all the artists for coming.

2. Artists will submit their work and I will accept submissions based on my personal qualifications (basically, if they have a large group of original work to sell or display). Vendors that are accepted are visual artists, writers, photographers, fashion, jewelry, upcycled work, and sculpture. 

3. When I find a group of artists and employees for the event, we will have a meeting going over the event, rules, qualities I look for in sellers, and basically what to expect.

4. Artists will share more examples of what they plan to sell with me, and I'll look over them in case of graphic imagery or copyrighted content.

5. The event happens!!!

 The LGBTQ+ community is a massive group of people in the art industry, yet they are so underrepresented. Though I've seen progress in representation, the visual arts world remains run by the LGBTQ+ people who hardly experienced the spotlight. I've met many artists in this community that doesn't get enough exposure or funding versus artists that aren't LGBTQ+, whether it'd be shows, marketplaces, and grants. Also, as an upcoming artist myself, I find it quite difficult to pay upfront fees of $50+ just to feature my art! "What if I don't sell anything?" is something that's always in a creative entrepreneur's head when paying upfront. I wanted to pay the artists for applying to this position, rather than giving them pricey fees. I also want to share the artwork created by the LGBTQ+ community (ages 14+), and shine light on the artists of this group of people.

 Bringing awareness and love to my beloved LGBTQ+ community has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager. As a church-goer, I have seen ridiculous amounts of discrimination towards LGBTQ+ youth and the insane amount of gossip about people who are. It shocked me to see people claiming to accept everyone to not accept and love people for their gender identity or sexuality. This amount of unrighteous criticism sparked a flame of passion in me to help LGBTQ+ youth and help with recovery from trauma within family or church, and support in general. This is the mentality that brought me to become an advocate for the community. Because I am an artist and LGBTQ+ people are a large portion of the industry, I'm solely combining two areas of life I'm passionate about in one event, and I hope to share that passion with others participating and supporting this.