In partnership with SOS Art, we created a spin-off exhibit wherein we paired Inside Out portraits with Cincinnati poets who wrote original poems inspired by the trans participants' artwork.
SOS Art is a Cincinnati non-profit organization dedicated to exploring social justice issues through visual art and poetry. Director Saad Ghosn proposed the idea and hand-picked the participating poets. The organization also had a full color anthology printed and provided 2 copies to each participant, with additional copies for sale to the public.
In February 2021, SOS Art secured a live exhibit opportunity at Northern Kentucky University. 8x11 reprints of the artwork and corresponding poems were mounted side-by-side and exhibited in the NKU Gallery. In celebration of Pride month, Saad approached the Cincinnati Public Library for exhibit space. The main brain was under remodel but we were able to show at the new Price Hill branch, in a beautiful gallery/meeting space on the second floor.
We had two public events during the month-long exhibit that provided opportunity to view the work, meet the artists and poets, listen to poets read their work and hear the trans participants speak about their experiences creating a self-portrait.
To view the video from the poetry reading, please click the following link. If you are looking for a particular poem/portrait, see the time stamps and names below.
Sea Dax 0:00 Lisa Prantl
Carmine 5:27 Lonna Kingsbury
Christopher Nyx 9:48 Karen Arnett
Ari Pitman 14:11 Nancy D’Aquila
Raya 17:46 Jerry Judge
Milo Boggan 23:18 Michael Olson
Emily Wheeler 29:38 Chris Gutjahr
Moni 33:08 Elena Estella Green
Ashton 38:00 Karen George
Tay 41:35 Eileen Trauth
Raya’s song 51:26
Keira 56:38 Tyrone Williams