Identity & Pride

Exhibitions

Identity & Pride

Youth Exploration of Self |

June 18—July 14, 2019

YBCA, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco (BGCSF), and San Francisco Pride come together to present Identity and Pride: Youth Art Show.

“We hope that this show will make an impact on the injustices we see happening in our lives and the world.” – Youth Artists, Identity & Pride: Youth Art Show

With artwork developed by youth members of BGCSF’s Citywide Arts Program, the exhibition offers a glimpse into the perspectives of youth ages six to eighteen from the Western Addition, Bayview-Hunters Point, Excelsior, Tenderloin, and Mission communities. Through sculpture, photography, digital art, prints, and textiles, the show explores broad themes of identity, including gender, ethnicity, culture, community, and love. Representing love and sexuality as facets of identity, the exhibition also includes a showcase of youth artwork repurposing the iconic rainbow pride flag in celebration of the 49th Annual SF LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration.

The youth artists have created an exhibition that shows both the forces impacting young people today, from community acceptance or rejection of their identities to national debates on race and equality.

Opening night reception for Identity & Pride: Youth Exploration of Self, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, 2019. Photograph by Tommy Lau.

At the opening night reception for Identity & Pride: Youth Exploration of Self, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, 2019. Photograph by Tommy Lau.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco

Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco is a community-based nonprofit organization that offers youth ages six to eighteen high-quality programs in first-class facilities. With a 128-year track record of meeting the needs of San Francisco youth and families, BGCSF welcomes more than 1,900 youth per day to its fifteen locations, including eight Clubhouses, five School-Based Clubs, Boeddeker Park, and Camp Mendocino, a 2,000-acre residential summer camp in Mendocino County. By focusing on four elements of our success equation—academic success, healthy lifestyles, good character and community engagement, and job readiness with earning potential—BGCSF prepares Club members to be “ready for life” by age eighteen.

About San Francisco Pride

The San Francisco Pride Celebration Committee is a 501(c)3 nonproﬁt organization founded to produce the SF Pride Celebration and Parade. The mission of the organization is to educate the world on LGBTQ issues, as well as commemorate the heritage, celebrate the culture, and liberate the people of all LGBTQ communities. A world leader in the Pride movement, SF Pride is also a grant-giving organization through its Community Partners Program. Since 1997 SF Pride has granted over $3 million in proceeds to local nonproﬁt LGBTQIA organizations and organizations working on issues related to HIV/AIDS, cancer, homelessness, housing rights, and animal welfare.

Identity & Pride is curated by Susie Kantors, curator of exhibitions.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is grateful to the City of San Francisco for its ongoing support.

YBCA exhibitions are made possible in part by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Panta Rhea Foundation, Mellon/American Council of Learned Societies Public Fellows Program, and Kevin King and Meridee Moore.

Free youth admission to YBCA galleries is made possible through the support of Nicola Miner and Robert Mailer Anderson.

YBCA programs are made possible in part by Bloomberg Philanthropies and The James Irvine Foundation, with additional funding by National Endowment for the Arts, Grosvenor, and YBCA Members.

Lead Image: Installation view, Identity & Pride: Youth Exploration of Self, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, 2019. Courtesy Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Photograph by John Foster Cartwright.