Local Artists Kick Off Pride Month in Gulfport 

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A Gulfport resident of about 20 years and artist Diane Bains explains this original watercolor is the visual emblem of her website that specializes in bereavement cards for people who have lost their pets: “Rainbow Bridge Cards” at  rainbowbridgecards.com. The painting is based on the Corbridge Bridge in Northumberland, England that crosses the River Tyne. Local history claims the current bridge built in 1674 rests on Roman foundations. She is originally from Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, which is near the site of the bridge. According to her website, as a child she was influenced in art by watching her father and grandfather paint in watercolors. Her mother was also artistic and specialized in designing clothes along with being a master in cake decorating and Oriental flower arranging. Bains draws inspiration for her palette of colors from places where she has lived like her hometown, Provincetown on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Key West, Florida and now Gulfport. “I like being near the water,” said Bains. 

To kick off the annual local LGBT Pride Month for 2017, the Gulfport Public Library opened a free exhibit of 13 visual artists who live or work in the city entitled “ArtOut: LGBTQ Artists in Gulfport” on Thursday, June 1 that will run through June 30.

The initialism “LGBTQ” stands for people who identify as “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Questioning/Queer,” the last letter being a recent addition over the past few years. According to the Library of Congress, June is designated each year in the United States to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan.

Represented media includes acrylics, oils, watercolors, stained glass, blown glass, ceramics, photography and mixed media.

The library is located at 5501 28th Ave. S. and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about events offered by the library’s LGBTQ Resource Center throughout June, call  727-893-1074.

 

Over 75 people attended the opening reception of “ArtOut: LGBTQ Artists in Gulfport” on the evening of Thursday, June 1 at the Gulfport Public Library. The window-lined display area faces south toward Beach Boulevard S. and provides abundant natural lighting for the artwork. 

by Debbie Wolfe

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