From going out on a Friday night to attending a weekday lecture, students find themselves in various social circles, separating each experience from the next. But for the queer community in Gainesville, their identities unite them, no matter where they may find themselves.
As soon as June 1 arrived, LGBTQ+ students’ energy transformed into something more than just vibrant colors and pride-filled celebrations.
“Queer Eclectics,” an exhibit inspired by the queer community’s diversity, was put together by UF art organization Common Craft and curated by 20-year-old UF art junior Jade Bennett.
Bennett invited queer artists from her first show, “Picking it Up,” to showcase their work in a smaller, more intimate setting near the literature and silent hallways in Library West.
The exhibition began with Bennett’s piece, “Three Women from Weimar,” which was inspired by the story of three transgender women, Lili Elbe, Charlotte Charlaque and Dora Richter, who lived during 1930s Germany. The Institute of Sexual Science, the clinic that supported each of them during their medical transition, was the first place targeted in Nazi book burnings.
“Interwar Germany strikes me as a moment where things could have gone better than they did,” she said. “At no point was fascism inevitable until it was there, and I feel like these women who had successfully transitioned are a really compelling example of that.”
Bennett’s piece resonated with Hugo Russo, a 24-year-old UF entomology and nematology senior, who discovered the exhibition while completing homework at Library West June 1.
As a transgender man, Russo said he was comfortable enough to come out because of queer spaces, and queer representation encouraged him to begin gender-affirming care. He believes his life changed tremendously since then, he said.
“It’s so good to have [queer] spaces and see people being confident in themselves, whether or not you relate to what they’re being confident in,” Russo said.
In a time when many communities feel unsure about being themselves because of bigotry and political chaos, Russo said representation in local artwork has shown the queer community they don’t have to hide who they are.
Jillian Dahl, a 25-year-old UF graduate, included ceramic vases called “Body Jar Set” in the exhibit due to their works’ eclectic nature. Dahl drew inspiration from bodily forms and textures to create amalgamations of feminine and masculine characteristics.
The pieces were part of their final UF exhibition, where Dahl displayed personal and "moderately risque” ceramic work.
Their work mirrors the fluidity of the queer spectrum because their sculptures depict abstract bodies that blur the lines between male and female — reflecting identities that resist singular definition. Art goes hand in hand with being in the queer community, they said.
“As far as [the] art community goes, there’s a million facets that you could go [with],” they said. “Within one medium, one person can approach it in one way, and one person can approach it in a totally different way.”
Another artist in “Queer Eclectics” is Lucy Edwards, a 19-year-old UF art junior. Many of Edwards’ works are based on the struggles queer people face because of Florida’s current political climate. Their work in the exhibition, “Fish out of Water,” is more specific to their own experiences.
Edwards ventured into the swamplands of their conservative hometown, Kissimmee, and took photographs dressed as a swamp creature.
The costume represented something they find kinship with as a queer individual, where monsters are typically tied to marginalized groups, they said.
“It’s about the correlation between the anti-queer legislation, the anti-environment legislation and how the current government is trying to push out the weird, queer parts of Florida in favor of over-developed, touristy spots,” they said.
Caswell Shamblin, a 21-year-old UF art history senior, put together more than five exhibitions during her time as Common Craft’s president. She believes “Queer Eclectics” is unique due to its location in a public space with high student traffic and a wide range of artistic mediums.
“A lot of queer people turn to media and art to find people who are like them and find representation, answers, words and pictures for how they’re feeling,” Shamblin said.
For more LGBTQ+ resources, visit the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida’s website.
Contact Autumn Johnstone at ajohnstone@alligator.org. Follow them on X @AutumnJ922.
Autumn Johnstone is a freshman journalism/art student and a music reporter for The Avenue. When they're not writing, you can find them enjoying a nice cup of coffee at a nearby café or thrifting for vinyls.
