The Metro: Mighty Real Queer Detroit exhibition celebrates queer art during Pride Month

One of the largest LGBTQ+ art exhibitions is making its return for Pride Month. The Mighty Real Queer biennial event illuminates the history, culture and current landscape of Queer art in Detroit.

The exhibit’s narrative is clear — queer stories are American stories.

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Creative director and curator of Mighty Real Queer Detroit, Patrick Burton, joined The Metro to give more details on this year’s exhibition, which runs through June 30, 2024.

“I’ll Be Your Mirror: Reflections of the Contemporary Queer” is the theme, and will include the work of over 170 artists spread across 11 galleries — with an emphasis on national and international artists.

“Art is a mirror. It shows, it reflects and embodies self recognition and affirms a presence. So it’s really kind of magnifying one’s importance that maybe the viewer isn’t seeing,” Burton explained.  “It’s important for us as artists to reflect not only ourselves, but to reflect back to a community that needs to be uplifted and affirmed. Self-validation is very important. I would say the struggle continues for queer folk. The battle is not over.”

This exhibition will display diverse forms of art from the U.S., Asia, Latin America and Europe that honors the LGBTQ+ community and acts as a call-to-action for queer rights.

“Sure, this is a 911. This is a call for action. This is a survey of queer art,” said Burton. “There’s a historical educational component, so it’s not just contemporary art of today. But again, we utilize artists who really lead the way.”

Many influential artists, including Peter McGough, LeRoy Foster and more, will have their art and stories honored at Mighty Real Queer Detroit, which runs through Pride Month from May 31 to June 30. Venues include the CARR center, Detroit Artists Market, Anton Art Center, Scarab Club and more.

Details can be found at mrqd.org.

More headlines from The Metro on June 3rd:

• The Intelligent Cities Summit in Detroit is discussing the ways technology makes life easier for residents this week. The summit has partnered with the city of Detroit to bring people together who are thinking about how technology can improve the ways cities function. New Detroit Director of Transformational Change Rebecca Irby and founder of the Intelligent Cities Summit Faz Ahmad joined The Metro to discuss the summit.
• 826michigan kicks off their “See to Be” summer kids writing workshop on July 9. They’ve partnered with the Detroit Institute of Arts, Scarab Club, and the Belle Isle Aquarium to encourage kids to write and explore the world around them. Denise Ervin, program manager at 826michigan, joined The Metro to share more details.