News and events from the William Way LGBT Community Center

 

News and events from the William Way LGBT Community Center View this email in your browser August 21, 2020 PICTURE OF THE WEEK FEM by Fina Grimes Here's one of the pieces from the WWCC's first ever online student art exhibit. There's more about the exhibit in this newsletter below.   What's ahead:   Queering the Quarantine Elder Initiaive at WWCC Virtual Art Exhibition Share Your Story TransWayOnline Facebook Twitter Instagram Speaking Out for Equality is an online exhibit produced by the John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives that tells the courageous story of LGBT civil rights in the courts and in the streets.   Queering the Quarantine Note that all Queering the Quarantine Learning Lunches use this permanent Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/626049072 Save this link to join any future Monday or Thursday Zoom noontime talk!   Mon., 8/24, 12:00 Noon Facebook livestream & Zoom Bill Valerio has been the director of Woodmere since 2010. Thanks to his leadership, the museum is revitalized and Woodmere's contribution to the cultural life of Philadelphia has grown. Woodmere's focus is the arts of our city, and Bill has made sure that queer voices, stories, and exhibitions have been part of Woodmere's programs. A Queer Take on American Realism: Gilbert Lewis A leading realist painter of Philadlephia, since the 1960s, Gilbert Lewis has been ahead of his time in celebrating queer identity in art. The current exhibition at Woodmere Art Museum, Gilbert Lewis: Many Faces, Many Figures, is on view and open to the public through October 25, with advance tickets and social-distance guidelines. Bill's talk will be a virtual gallery tour, with special emphasis on Lewis's portraits of young men and old men, and his interpretation of pictorial sensuality from a gay male point of view. For more information about the exhibition, go to woodmereartmuseum.org. Watch the live stream on the WWCC Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/waygayphiladelphia/,  or join us via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/626049072 Thu., 8/27, 12:00 Noon Facebook livestream & Zoom This Thursday, we'll welcome the city's Director of the Office of LGBT Affairs, Celena Morrison. Celena Morrison is hardly a stranger to Philadelphia’s LGBT missions and initiatives. Morrison comes directly from William Way LGBT Community Center, where, in her position as Director of Programs, she was a leading voice in opening the the Arcila-Adams Trans Resource Center, among other initiatives. She has also been on the Philadelphia Commission of Human Relations (PCHR) (since 2018) and is a support specialist for Mazzoni Center’s Pediatric and Adolescent Comprehensive Transgender Services program (PACTS). Morrison now leads the Office of LGBT Affairs’ policy work and community engagement and advises the Mayor’s Office and Philadelphia City government on the ongoing needs of LGBTQ+ people. Watch the live stream on the WWCC Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/waygayphiladelphia/,  or join via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/626049072 Introducing the Elder Initiative at William Way!   We are thrilled to announce that the LGBT Elder Initiative and the William Way LGBT Community Center have merged to create the Elder Initiative at William Way. This consolidation will create a central hub for resources, referrals, and programs for LGBT older adults in the Greater Philadelphia region. The new model will promote the expansion of existing programs and services while also developing opportunities to better address growing community needs.   All of the programs and services offered by our two organizations will continue as usual and will now be offered as the Elder Initiative at William Way.    You can read more about this new affiliation in our op-ed published in the Advocate and here in the Inquirer.   Your participation in our programs is sincerely valued and appreciated and we encourage you to continue to share your wisdom and guidance as we move forward.         If you would like more information about this new structure, please email Ed Miller (emiller@waygay.org) or David Griffith (dgriffith@lgbtei.org), or call the Center at 215-732-2220.  The William Way Center's First Virtual Art Exhibition Is Live! .  Originally planned to open in our gallery on March 13, 2020, this exhibition was one of the first programs of the Community Center to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now available online, the exhibition provides a safe viewing alternative, promotes the artists’ creativity, and provides an opportunity for interested viewers to purchase artworks. 65% of each sale will go to the artist and 35% will go to the Community Center to support our arts & culture programs. .  Thanks to M Slater for their beautiful photography of the works and the gorgeous web design! .  You can visit the exhibition here: https://www.waygay.org/art-student-exhibition SHARE YOUR STORY! During this unprecedented health crisis, the John J. Wilcox Jr. Archives at William Way LGBT Community Center stands in solidarity with our queer and LGBTQ+ community in the greater Philadelphia area.   Please share with us how you are experiencing being queer during COVID-19: https://bit.ly/QueerantinePHL.  TransWay Online TransWay is a diverse weekly social group for the transgender and gender nonconforming community, providing a space where what is often a disenfranchised and marginalized segment of the community can find commonality and support. Transway meets via Zoom every Thursday from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Everyone is welcome! For access to the weekly Zoom events, join the TransWay Facebook group.  DONATE