First Thursday Reception

Art Ventures is thrilled to invite you to our very first First Thursday of 2022! Please join us on Thursday, January 6 between 5 pm and 8:30 pm for our closing reception of Art for the Holidays and our special collaborative exhibit with The Equality Crew. 

The Visibly You Exhibit explores the yearning for visibility, which is experienced as a burning ache by many people who are excluded, silenced and mistreated. Local LGBTQ youth were invited to work with stylists and photographers to be makers and subjects of art that transform their invisibility to radical visibility. It was a truly magical day as most kids arrived appearing very timid and overwhelmed by thought of being truly seen. As they worked with the stylists and slowly began allowing themselves to be vulnerable with the photographers, a sense of magic descended upon the scene and the triumph of self-actualization came alive within their portraits. 

The exhibit is offered by The Equality Crew, a local nonprofit organization focused on providing safe spaces for LGBTQ youth to gather and have fun being their true selves. The Equality Crew worked with Salon Fix and local photographers to create a safe space for participants to express themselves and allow them to feel seen in art. With visibility comes hope for respect, validation and equality. 

This First Thursday event is free and open to the public! Beverages and refreshments will be provided by Art Ventures, with donations from Ozark Beer Company and Fossil Cove. Come join us and bring a friend or two!

Parking is limited at the gallery, so we will have a shuttle provided by Jim’s Express that stops at the corner of Church St and Center St every 15 minutes. You can park on the Fayetteville Downtown Square, and ride the shuttle to the show between 5 pm to 8 pm.