[Image description: A rectangular graphic with a cream colored background. A black banner wraps the upper portion of the graphic with an intersectional-pride colored border. White text reads "Fine Art Galleries" to the right is the logo and address for Bradbury-Sullivan Center. Black text underneath reads "Creating Home by Kevelis Matthews-Alvarado (they/he/she)," "Exhibit: January 16 - February 17," and "Artist Reception: January 19 6-8 p.m." A photograph of Kevelis wearing a black sweater is in the lower left corner. To the right are examples of Kevelis's artwork that will be featured in their exhibit.]

The Fine Art Galleries at Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center hosts art exhibits that celebrate LGBTQ+ artists and LGBTQ-themed art. Exhibits are professionally curated and each exhibit includes an artist reception.

We also host exhibits that bring LGBTQ+ history to life - featuring materials from the Lehigh Valley LGBT Community Archive, or hosted in partnership with external organizations. 

We are thrilled to announce our next exhibition "Creating Home/Creando Hoga" by Kevelis Matthews-Alvarado (they/he/she). The exhibit will be in our Fine Art Galleries at our center from January 16th through February 17th. Mark your calendars for January 19th from 6-8pm to meet the artist  and celebrate queer art! There will be food, music, and wonderful conversation. Read more about this exhibit below. For any questions about this exhibit, please reach out to [email protected].

Creating Home/Creando Hoga Brief Statement:

Creating Home (2023) is a labor of love. Creating Home is an ode to becoming, an ode to transformation. With its earliest pieces conceived just a few months shy of the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, this collection was almost entirely shaped in and through quarantine. The context of a global pandemic illuminated my need to create art as a means of coping, surviving, and healing.

Thus, as a mixed media collection, Creating Home recognizes the physical body as a home and explores themes of identity, self-acceptance, nature as a catalyst for healing, self-love, and chosen family. 

Artist Bio:

Kevelis Matthews-Alvarado is a queer afro-latine multimedia interdisciplinary artist, writer, and scholar currently based on Lenape land (Bethlehem, PA). Kevelis has a BA in Africana Studies (2020), a BA in Public Health (2020), and a MA in English (2021) from Lehigh University.

As a self-taught artist, Kevelis explores spectrums of race, gender, and sexuality as they seek to better understand their own identity by mixing and layering different media together to depict something whole. Kevelis’s work is informed by and situated within the radical Black tradition of resisting through art. Inspired by historic Black art movements like the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and the creation of Hip Hop, Kevelis draws upon ancestral connections and uses art to radically imagine future landscapes which center BIPOC queer love, joy, and community.  

Kevelis co-curated a group exhibition entitled THE ARTCHIVE, showcasing works created in an interactive workshop series in 2022. As a collection, THE ARTCHIVE (2022) underscores creativity, art, and performance as political tools, reminding viewers that activism can take many forms and that not all protests look the same. Kevelis’s work has also been featured in a group show titled Queering Care (2022) at the Banana Factory. In January 2023 Kevelis will present their first solo exhibition show titled Creating Home at the Bradbury-Sullivan Center in Allentown, PA.

[Image description: A rectangular graphic with a cream colored newsprint background. Black bars hold title text "Amending Allentown, The 40+ Year Fight for LGBTQ+ Rights", as well as dates and times. Photos from the archival exhibit are scattered below the bars. The Queer Galleries logo sits to the top left and the Bradbury-Sullivan Center logo is to the bottom left.]

[Image description: The graphic includes images of the artist's work throughout the background. A white angular bar sit in the middle. The title text, "Ode to the Former" by Jillian McLuhan (she/her), as well as the dates and address are included. The Queer Galleries logo sits to the top and the Bradbury-Sullivan Center logo is to the bottom left.]

Join us on April 20th from 6-8pm for the artist reception of Jillian McLuhan's "Ode to the Former" exhibition! There will be vegan & gluten free food and refreshments with a curated playlist that goes along with the exhibition. For more information about the exhibition email [email protected].

Artist Statement

Jillian’s work relies on exploration of the ephemeral and the body in which it is held. By questioning what can be a bodily container and what is stored within it, she creates dreamlike communities that are fractured by the confines of canvas stretchers. For her, the body is the physical component that serves the non-physical. Having a physical component in the mix grounds any words spoken, or actions taken. Jillian’s interested in how the physical and non-physical collide, support or upend one another. It seems, non-physical aspects typically don’t come to fruition until there is a vessel to harbor them. Secrets don’t become known until physical characteristics let them slip; words are spoken or written. Her artworks reflect relationships – past, present, imaginary and constructed. Within Jillian’s work, one may find similar ties across the constructed landscapes she’s created.

To have feelings is to respond to surroundings and interactions. It is human nature to learn cause and effect, which leads us to associate how we feel in response to an experience. Conversely, a person might not know why they are feeling a certain emotion because a correlated experience hasn’t happened. Both occurrences are natural and common, but we tend to elevate the cause and effect relation more than feeling without association. By recognizing our natural fluctuation of emotions, we can bring both occurrences back to the same plane. Jillian’s recent work is the result of recognizing patterns in the music she has been consuming. The repetition of words brought back unresolved feelings from her first queer relationship. For Jillian, emotions become the binding to connect feelings of isolation and togetherness from either side of the spectrum. The unsettled emotions were building a hive within a portion of her mind she had neglected. The resulting paintings are a part of a new series unearthing internalized homophobia and confronting it. While at first uncomfortable, Jillian found peace in recognizing patterns of emotion and solace in memories. The process continues to heal a younger version of herself.

[Image description: The graphic includes images of the artist's work throughout the background. A white angular bar sit in the middle. The title text, "between you and me" by Rei Ukon (he/they), as well as the dates and address are included. The Queer Galleries logo sits to the top and the Bradbury-Sullivan Center logo is to the bottom left.]

Our Queer Galleries host art exhibits that celebrate LGBTQ+ artists and LGBTQ-themed art. Exhibits are professionally curated and each exhibit includes an artist reception. We also host exhibits that bring LGBTQ+ history to life - featuring materials from the Lehigh Valley LGBT Community Archive, or hosted in partnership with external organizations.

Please visit our Center anytime during our hours of operation to experience our gallery spaces, and join us on May 18th from 6-8 pm for the artist reception of Rei Ukon's "Between You and Me" exhibition! There will be vegan & gluten free food and refreshments. For more information about the exhibition email [email protected].

ARTIST STATEMENT: 

Rei Ukon uses washi paper, fabric, glass beads, and other textures and intertwines them to portray queer existence and spiritual fantasy. Blurring dreams and reality, memory and present, childhood and adulthood, his self is reflected in these liminal spaces, and it is in these crevices where his deepest emotions reverberate the most. 

EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION: 

Colorful and textured scenes express Rei’s emotional memory in planes where love pours out of palms in the form of pearls and the sky glimmers through tiny glass beads. Trimmings of old baby clothes, childhood photos, and pressed flowers suggest a nostalgic atmosphere throughout Rei’s work. between you and me is a recounting of fragile memories, and a record of transitions and new beginnings. Rei’s collaged world is an expression of love, gratitude, grief, and reverence. His scenes beckon reflection and invite you to immerse yourself between your own folds of memories.

[Image description: The words “Lehigh Valley Lesbians” project from the screen in the colors of the lesbian pride flag, surrounded by white curved diamond-shaped stars of various sizes. Text reads “Join us! Every 4th Tuesday of the month from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Eastern." The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center logo is in the upper left corner, and the address "522 West Maple Street at Bayard Rustin Way, Allentown, PA 18101" is in the upper right corner.]

This group is virtual only this month and normally hybrid format. For Zoom access, email [email protected]. 

A casual, drop-in community discussion group for anyone who identifies as lesbian or a bisexual woman in the Greater Lehigh Valley. Starting in the month of May 2022, the group will be held on the 4th Tuesday of each month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern instead of its previous meeting time on the 1st Wednesdays of the month.

Sponsored By: Your use of information contained on this and all other pages of this website is subject to the terms and conditions more fully set forth in our Disclaimer.

[Image description: A rectangular graphic with a yellow background. In the top right there a picture of people holding hands sitting across from one another. To the right there is a picture of two people with white hair hugging. There is a purple ribbon for Dementia awareness. Black text reads "Sharing Our Stories: A Dementia Support Program", "Every 4th Thursday of the Month", and "10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m." White text on a purple background reads, "Caregiver Support Group" and "Creative Storytelling Program for People Living with Dementia." The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center logo, the United Way of the Lehigh Valley Logo, and the Lehigh Valley Health Network logo are along the bottom of the graphic.]

Sharing Our Stories is a support program for both our elders living with dementia and their caregivers.

The support group for caregivers and the creative program for people living with dementia take place at the same time, on the 4th Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m in person at Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center. 

The creative program for people living with dementia is based on the TimeSlips Curriculum, an evidence-based and award winning program that brings joy to elders and their carepartners through by infusing creativity and meaning-making into care relationships and systems. Together we’ll explore pieces of our local LGBTQ+ archives and art in our galleries to tell stories to be shared for lifetimes.

The support group for caregivers is a professionally run support group to give caregivers a space to support and connect with one another. This part of the program is occurring in partnership with LVHN.

*To participate in the program, one or more members of the caregiver(s) / individual(s) with dementia should be LGBTQ+ identified

Please reach out to Peter Flood (he/him), our Center Specialist at [email protected] with any questions about the program. 

Please RSVP for the session. There are a limited number of spots available. 

This program is funded by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

[Image description: Four children and two adults stand in front of a sunset on a field. Only their silhouettes can be seen. Text reads "Join Us! Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 6:00-7:30 p.m.” Eastern Time. The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center logo is in the top right.]

Live closed captioning is available at this virtual event.

To access the Zoom meeting and to learn more about our supportive services, contact [email protected]

Sponsored By: 

Your use of information contained on this and all other pages of this website is subject to the terms and conditions more fully set forth in our Disclaimer. As the health and safety of our center's visitors are our highest priority, this group is now held remotely. To read more about the LGBT community and COVID-19, click here.

Image description: a silhouette of an individual with short hair and glasses looks towards text that says “Transmasculine Group. Join Us! Every fourth Wednesday of the month from 6:30 to 8 PM” Eastern Time. The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center logo is in the bottom right.

This meeting is held in-person at the center. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Monthly peer-led casual, drop-in discussion group for people who were assigned anything other than male at birth but now reside somewhere on the masculine spectrum—e.g. transguys and transmasculine non-binary people. The group is held on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 6:30 to 8PM ET.

To learn more about our Community Building Programs, contact [email protected].

Image description: Silhouettes of three people in front of a blue, white, and pink sky. The individuals have long hair and are waving their hands in the air. Text reads, "Transfeminine Community Group, Join Us! Every fourth Wednesday of the month 6:30 to 8 PM” Eastern Time. The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center logo is in the bottom right.

Monthly peer-led casual drop-in discussion group for individuals who identify somewhere on the feminine spectrum but were not assigned female at birth—such as trans women, transfeminine or nonbinary folks. The group is held on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 6:30-8PM EST.

Live closed captioning is available at this virtual event.

Sponsored By: 

Your use of information contained on this and all other pages of this website is subject to the terms and conditions more fully set forth in our Disclaimer.