As a part of Pride 2021, members of the LGBTQIA+ community can receive free photo portraits at the Union for Contemporary Art on Friday, June 18.
The pictures will be taken by local photographer and videographer Josh Foo whose work extends from national brands to local projects like Right Here, Right Now, a series showing the pandemic’s effects on Omaha’s small business owners. The pictures are also one piece of a larger public art project Foo will reveal at the end of June titled “As You Are.” The goal of Friday’s workshop and the overall project is to empower and showcase Omaha’s queer community.
“I just want to show the beauty and uniqueness of each individual,” Foo said in a Facebook post from the Union for Contemporary Art. “I want them to be seen.”
People can come from noon until 7 p.m. to get their pictures taken. Due to COVID-19, the arts center on the corner of 24th and Lake streets will limit attendance inside and masks will be required unless a photo is being taken. The event is free and no appointments are necessary, but people can make reservations online through the arts center’s Facebook event. Edited photos will be shared with participants after the event.
The event is also one part of the Union for Contemporary Art’s month-long programming, made possible through funding from the Omaha Community Foundation’s Equality Fund, around Pride Month in June. In addition to Foo’s photo project, the arts center has also started holding virtual reading circles to promote and discuss the work of queer people of color. People interested in participating in these events, as well as more Pride events at the Union for Contemporary Art which will extend to August, can find information on the art center’s website.
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