Seeing & Being Seen: LGBTQ+ Visions of Rochester

While LGBTQ+ arts and culture have achieved more mainstream visibility in recent decades, our collective struggles for acceptance, freedom, equal rights, and equitable treatment persist. Activism, advocacy, and organizing for civil and human rights, including the Queer and Trans liberation movements, are woven deeply into the fabric of Rochester, New York. It is home to a large LGBTQ+ population, where diverse people, businesses, and organizations constitute vibrant LGBTQ+ communities with rich histories. Though the region has been recognized as a safe haven destination where Queer and Trans folx thrive, we acknowledge that, even today, many still struggle to be welcomed, affirmed, and merely allowed to exist authentically and survive.

Seeing & Being Seen celebrates the diverse, intersectional identities and experiences within the Greater Rochester LGBTQ+ community and spotlights both our shared and unique Queer and Trans existence, from celebration to struggle. With this exhibition, ImageOutArt and the George Eastman Museum honor the strength and resiliency of LGBTQ+ people, showcasing their unique individualism and enduring bravery. The exhibition is composed of submissions from regional artists and juried by a diverse panel of local LGBTQ+ arts professionals.

Curated by ImageOutArt.

Co-organized with George Eastman Museum.

2025 Gallery Obscura programming generously sponsored by ESL.

With generous exhibition support provided by 7Crest Financial Partners.
 

About Gallery Obscura

The museum's community gallery, the Gallery Obscura, features exhibitions created or presented in collaboration with regional institutions and school and/or youth programs, projects focused on Greater Rochester, and exhibitions from the museum's collections that are thematically related to area events or that support other museum initiatives and programming. 

Exhibition Proposal Submissions 

Please submit exhibition proposals for the Gallery Obscura to Gallery[email protected]. Proposals should briefly describe the project and include 6-10 sample images or links to moving media content. Because of the structure of exhibition scheduling, not all proposals can be considered. Single-artist and artist-organized exhibitions will not be considered.