Amid national efforts to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, Hillcrest-based artist Carole Kuck felt it was important for the identities of LGBTQ+ youth to be seen and described, made real and present.
In her new series “BOLD AND BRILLIANT: The Colors of LGBTQIA+ Pride” to be shown at the Studio Door’s annual PROUD+ art show starting July 3, Kuck honored the full spectrum of sexualities and gender identities through acrylic paintings on wood using the colors of 50 inclusive pride flag variations.
“Given these efforts to essentially make people disappear, I wanted to find a way to say we are not disappearing. We are not going away. We are not hiding. In fact, we are here even bigger and bolder,” Kuck said of her hand-painted woodworking.
Since Gilbert Baker, the self-described gay Betsy Ross, designed the first eight-color pride flag in 1977, the flag has been updated a number of times due to limited dye availability and to ensure everyone, including people of color, trans identities and intersex people, were represented in the flag. Other artists created a number of flags for specific identities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella.
As Kuck researched the history of Pride flags, she was inspired by the self-awareness of the flag creators and their freedom to be fully themselves.
The 67-year-old artist was fascinated by how flags, like her own once primarily pink lesbian flag, evolved to add more colors like oranges and magentas to be more inclusive. She delighted in finding flags for subcategories, like the butch lesbian flag infused with blues and purples.
“When I started painting it and I had this vision, it was really about us as individuals expressing who we are, being who we are, freely. But as the project completed … I can see that it is also about humanity as a whole … how beautiful we are together,” Kuck said.
The bright and beautiful acrylic paintings cover wooden wall panels, blocks, posts and cubes.
Patric Stillman, owner of Studio Door, first showcased the emerging painter’s work in 2023 as Kuck developed her skills following her retirement as a math teacher.
“I’m so proud of Carole because she has decided, with this body of work, to really embrace who she is and bring that forward into the community,” Stillman said. “I feel like any artist who is really looking outward to the people around them, that it’s a remarkable thing. And she is very successful in achieving that with this series.”
The only time all 80 pieces will be shown together, with the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ identities, is at the Studio Door in July. To see them in person as well as art from other contemporary LGBTQ+ artists, visit Studio Door at 3867 4th Ave.
4th AvenueThe pieces are available for sale on her website carolekuckart.com, and she will also take commissions for people seeking specific flags.
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