Drexel Celebrates 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots with Largest LGBTQ+ Art Exhibit in Philadelphia History

'A Gift for the Queens' by Chad State.

On June 28, 1969 – the Stonewall Riots marked a pivotal moment in the fight for queer liberation in the United States. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, Drexel University’s Pearlstein Gallery will present Stonewall @ 50 - an exhibition that will gather 60 LGBTQ+ Philadelphia-area artists. 

This exhibition is co-curated by David Acosta and Janus Ourma and gathers 110 artworks in what will be the largest LGBTQ+ exhibition in Philadelphia’s history. Painting, drawing, photography, video, sculpture, fiber work, performance and installation, are all mediums that will be on display.

Performances by Vitche Boul-Ra and Wit López and a tableaux vivant by Jonas Dos Santos will take place during the opening reception on Friday, June 28 from 5-8 p.m. On Wednesday, July 10 a reading by Philadelphia LGBTQ poets will also take place at the gallery from 6-7 p.m.

Given the diversity, which encompasses the LGBTQ+ community, a special focus of both curators was to ensure the widest possible representation of artists not only in terms of artistic disciplines but equally in terms of age, race, gender and sexual orientation, as well as emerging artists and nationally and internationally known artists, from the Philadelphia region.

The exhibition will run from Friday, June 28 through July 26. The gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from noon-4 p.m. and Saturday from noon-5 p.m.

For a full list of featured artists and for more information, visit here.