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Accept as You Are: GATLAS Student Exhibition

From December 7, 2024 to December 31, 2024

Location: Student Gallery (Floor 2)

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High school students who participate in the Gay at the Library After School (GATLAS) program present a student exhibition that illustrates the importance of accepting individuals for who they are and being open to understanding diverse identities and perspectives. Inspired by artist Félix González-Torres’s “Untitled” (L.A.) candy spill installation and Le Mat (The Fool) by Devan Shimoyama, students focused on symbolism in art to express their identities through mixed-media collages. They also created a flower interactive to promote connection and inclusion. The idea of love and acceptance connects to important and relevant issues around self-determination and bodily autonomy, revealed through the lens of gender and sexuality in teen lives today.  

 

Félix González-Torres, “Untitled” (L.A.), 1991, Green candies in clear wrappers, endless supply, Overall dimensions vary with installation, Jointly owned by Art Bridges and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. AB.2018.20.
Félix González-Torres, “Untitled” (L.A.), 1991, Candies in clear wrappers, endless supply, Overall dimensions vary with installation, Jointly owned by Art Bridges and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. AB.2018.20.

 

How can we empower each other to transform as a community?   

During the GATLAS sessions, students discussed the value of understanding people’s differences and being seen for who you are, and how that contributes to a sense of belonging and connection within the community. Open-mindedness to LGBTQIA+ rights, women’s rights, gender equality and sex education resonated with many individuals. Students considered these values as they created their own artwork.   

Students created their own interpretation of a Tarot card connected to Shimoyama’s art-making practice rooted in self-reflection and the exploration of personal identity. Shimoyama interprets Tarot cards through his art, using symbols and materials to represent aspects of life transformation. Students incorporated personal and found objects into their pieces, giving these materials symbolic meaning through their art. 

In addition to the individual artworks, students collectively designed a flower interactive inspired by González-Torres’s conceptual art installation. González-Torres’s candy pile involves visitors taking a piece of candy to symbolize deterioration, loss and grief. Considering this process in reverse, we invite you to add materials to build something beautiful that changes over the duration of this exhibition. Add a flower to the wall and help grow a rainbow garden.  

By fostering acceptance, belonging and mutual respect, we can grow, learn and empower each other to transform as a community. 

 

Devan Shimoyama, Le Mat, 2022, Oil, Flashe, collage, colored pencil, glitter, fabric, sequins, silk flowers and jewelry on canvas stretched over panel, 84 × 68 in. Clara S. Peck Fund. 2022.17.1

 

The project was created in collaboration with Southern Finger Lakes Pride, Southeast Steuben County Library and Planned Parenthood of Greater New York.  

Special Thanks

Generous support for this project provided by Art Bridges.