For the third year, Anouk Rawkson and Jordan Christianson bring you a gallery of powerful, boundless, and queer-as-fuck artwork in the form of Still Mighty Real at Vermillion Art Gallery throughout Pride month. At the opening reception on June 12 as part of Capitol Hill Art Walk, you can expect to see a wide range of queer-made pieces ranging from garments to paintings, photography, and even a vending machine of kawaii dolls. 

With previous years being titled Mighty Real and Mighty Realer, this year’s gallery especially emboldens the necessary reminder that “we’ve been here, we are here, we will always be here, henny!” Amid the tidal wave of conservative politics and rising costs of just about everything, Still Mighty Real fortifies an accessible space for community to engage with art, resources for artists, and the celebration of self-expression. This year features work from a robust roster, including both Christianson and Rawkson, as well as Kerstin Graudins, David van der Linden, Tara Thomas, Kelly O, Nell Kerr, Julianee Mendoza, Varin Volk, Ham West, Samara Dot Ghoul, Harlen Munsö, and Sidney Woodruff. It will also feature archival posters from ’80s and ’90s gay bars provided by Doghouse Leathers, and projection visuals by Rajah Makonnen. 

As Christianson says, another reason for this year’s title is in response to “all the push back on our community, trying to tamp us down. Historically, it’s happened over and over and over, and we’re more equipped now because there’s more people who are comfortable with standing up and being loud.” 

It goes deeper than just pushing back against negativity—the gallery has always strived to create positive change for representation as well. “Initially, we noticed that in the art world, there’s not a lot of representation for marginalized communities,” Rawkson says. “Seattle’s very big on doing that recently, but for a while it just was like, if you have money, you can create. So we started curating shows.” The pair got to work creating opportunities for diverse artists through a variety of events like Imminent Mode, Misfit Toy Box, and The Haunting of Cloud Gallery. “We know each other’s language. It’s been going on almost 20 years. We just riff off each other very well,” says Christianson. “There’s all these different shows,” Rawkson continues, “and we said, well, why don’t we do a queer show?” Mighty Real came to us based on the Sylvester song, which is the queer anthem for everyone. Sylvester was just, ‘Honey, I’m queer as fuck.’” 

In line with Rawkson and Christianson’s overarching work, Still Mighty Real features up-and-coming artists, established artists, and people who just need a chance. They say Diana Adams, Vermillion’s owner, has been essential in making the goals of the gallery possible. Both curators describe Adams as “a pillar of the community” and “a champion of the arts.” “We’ve worked with Diana for a long time” Christianson says. “We have a home with Diana. She trusts what we do, she trusts in our vision.” The curatorial team has valued that trust since grants and other arts funding has not always offered the same support. Christianson explains that after their struggles with applying for grants and being turned down, they said, “Well, fuck that, we’ll do it ourselves.”

The pair put a lot of their own finances into making the show happen. Other than selling their own artwork, they don’t take a cut. “To us, the payment is just having a creative outlet for other creatives,” Rawkson explains. “It’s worth it. Seeing an artist’s smile when their first piece sells at a queer show—that’s exciting to them and that’s exciting for us, too.” Christianson adds, “That’s why it’s so important to us to have this space for them to get that opportunity, and to have that chance. If they do, they’re going to want to come back next year even bigger and better because they’ve been emboldened with that confidence—that what they have to say is valid, and it matters.” Community support goes a long way, and they both underscored how meaningful it is to the artists, gallery owners, and curators when there is significant turnout at events. 

Rawkson and Christianson also noted that Still Mighty Real expands past what you might expect. Rawkson points out that it’s not a “gay” show, it’s a “queer” show. “‘Gay’ more defines the typical West Hollywood, muscle-bound guy. Queer is such a big spectrum and it’s open to everyone who identifies as that.” The focus is also more on providing space to diverse, queer artists than on explicitly queer subject matter. “It’s art, but through a queer lens,” Christianson says. “You can read into it, but it is for everybody. It is experiences coming out on canvas, and our community happens to have some really crazy experiences trying to navigate this world, and even stay alive, you know?” 

Still Mighty Real offers something very vital by showcasing a visual display of these perspectives and experiences at a time when they are being challenged on a larger scale. As Rawkson says, “ We need a sense of community and visibility, especially right now, because people are being forced to hide again, and we don’t need to hide anymore.” Christianson adds, “I hope it brings a sense of strength, a sense of confidence that I think is slowly being eroded. There’s also this assimilation happening with the idea that you can be queer anywhere now, but that’s not always the case. We still need a gayborhood. We still need community and spaces where that’s very visible, very upfront, and not looked down upon. I want people to not be ashamed to live their truth. Art is a great way to do that. You can still hide behind your art, but it’s your heart telling a story.” 

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Still Mighty Real runs June 5–29 at Vermillion Art Gallery.