When she was a child, Nikita Gale dreamed of becoming a paleontologist. But as she got older, she realized the field could trap her into a small corner of study, and she wanted much more room to explore.
So Gale packed her bags and moved from Georgia to Connecticut to attend Yale University (the “gay Ivy” with the motto “one in four, maybe more”) where she earned a BA in Anthropology (Archaeological Studies).
Now, Gale identifies as a conceptual artist who uses photography, text and other imagery to express herself and the world around her. She is one of myriad LGBT artists who add to the diversity and creativity of Atlanta’s artistic scene.
Robert Sherer is known around the world for his provocative artwork, including a series called “Blood Works” that incorporated HIV-positive and HIV-negative blood into botanical illustrations.
Exhibits of his male nude drawings have been censored four times, but in 2007 he won the Lorenzo de Medici medal for his homoerotic wood-burnings. He is an art professor at Kennesaw State University and is working to endow a scholarship for out LGBT students.
Sherer and his partner, William Cash, are now featured in the book “100 Artists of the Male Figure” by E. Gibbons. Cash and Sherer appear at Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse on April 21 to sign copies of the book.
Artist Robert Sherer brings provocative work to Outwrite tonight
Derived from the inspirational mind of founder Will Pollock, ARTvision launched in 2006 in honor of his late aunt, Betsy Weedon. A philanthropic leader in San Francisco’s Bay Area for more than 40 years, Wheedon lost her fight with cancer in April 2006.
“I started ARTvision at a particularly challenging point in my life. I wanted to do something to give back after seeing great showings of generosity to me (gifts of wine, mostly) at my annual New Year’s Eve party,” Pollock says. “I wanted to channel that positive energy into something bigger and better.”
ARTvision — “Artists Reaching Through” — is a yearly fundraiser which consists of an online art show lasting the duration of December with a New Year’s Eve grand finale hosted by the founder.