Glamour Is Resistance

Exhibition Dates: May 23 - July 19, 2025

Opening Reception: 6:00 - 8:00pm, Friday, May 23, 2025

Juror Talk & Prize Awards: 7:00pm

Fourth Friday Reception: 6:00 - 8:00pm, Friday, June 27, 2025: During this reception, Michael-Birch Pierce will be offering Embroidered Portrait Sessions. (Michael has performed their embroidered portraits at Oscar and Super Bowl events, Design/Miami, and SXSW, and worked with clients such as Visa, Target, Amazon, Delta, NBCUniversal, and Airbnb.)

Glamour is Resistance draws its title from the powerful words of artist Justin Vivian Bond, reminding us that the very act of embracing and celebrating glamour within queer identity is inherently subversive. Understanding that glamour, like beauty, resides in the eye of the beholder, this exhibition explores how queer artists reclaim and redefine its meaning. This exhibition seeks to bring together a diverse group of queer artists who, through their work, challenge societal norms, redefine beauty, and assert their unapologetic presence in a world that often seeks to silence them.

In a time where LGBTQ+ voices continue to fight for visibility, equity, and protection, this show will engage with glamour not only as an aesthetic but as a defiant political act. Whether addressing the ongoing struggle for rights, celebrating the richness of queer culture, or simply presenting a bold declaration of self-expression, we want to show that queerness, in all its forms, is a powerful resistance to heteronormative expectations.

About the Juror: Michael-Birch Pierce is a fiber artist, fashion designer, and curator. They received a B.F.A. in fashion design from VCU where they are now an Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Merchandising. They also studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design for an M.F.A. in fibers with a focus on embroidery and embellishment. Pierce has worked for Diane von Furstenberg and André Leon Talley, embroidered Christmas decorations for the Obama White House, and designed an exclusive collection for Levi’s. They have completed artist residencies in Hong Kong, Paris, and Lacoste, France and exhibited in numerous galleries and museums both domestically and abroad. They have performed their embroidered portraits at Oscar and Super Bowl events, Design/Miami, and SXSW, and worked with clients such as Visa, Target, Amazon, Delta, NBCUniversal, and Airbnb. They are the co-Chair of the Iridian Gallery at Diversity Richmond, the first non-profit LGBTQ art gallery in the South.