Art with Heart: YouthSeen Art Benefit
At its heart, the wellbeing of individual people in an LGBTQ community is a reflection of the wellness of the whole community. Queer youth are struggling, but they may be able to their older peers for support. Over half of LGBTQ youth in Colorado experience severe isolation, negative comments, feel unsafe at school, and encounter verbal abuse because of their sexual orientation and/or gender expression.
One way to support LGBTQ youth is to support organizations that work to improve the lives of queer youth. This year, it is easy to double up on supporting queer youth while getting a thoughtful gift for a loved one by bidding on a handcrafted item through a silent auction that benefits YouthSeen. This auction is live December 1 and will end on December 10 at midnight. You can see all the items list and bid by going here.
YouthSeen is a Colorado based nonprofit whose mission is to foster and empower the social and emotional well-being of LGBTQ youth and their families in all communities. YouthSeen does this through their annual overnight camp that is nestled in the foothills of the Rock Mountains by connecting youth to a network of wellness providers, and through many other individualized services and events. Below is a roundup of a few of the creatives whose work you can find online, through commissions, and at the auction to benefit YouthSeen.
Ren Brian (she/her/hers)
IG: Foullorraine
Ren grew up in Salt Lake City Utah and now resides in Denver Colorado. You can pick up Ren’s work—prints and originals, mostly in the $5 – $25 range—through her Instagram.
What inspires you?
I am an artist who is inspired by the natural world. I mainly illustrate and have been drawing ink illustrations of creatures who are quoted saying affirming things. I have the creatures say things that I would want to hear.
Why is supporting YouthSeen important to you?
I helped organize an online silent auction that raised enough money for all children who were interested in attending an overnight camp for trans youth to receive a full scholarship to attend if they were interested. 20 artists and 50 pieces total.
I am finding a lot of joy in seeing other people’s joy. It feels really good to see people get excited about this thing and planning it together. I am not transgender myself, but I have a transgender loved one and a lot of loved ones who are. It gives me joy to see something for and by trans people that brings them joy, safety, and happiness.
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- Kade (they/them/theirs)
IG: @evilhand.shop
Etsy: Evil Hand Shop
- Kade is based in Salt Lake City, UT and is a multimedia artist who makes hand-painted earrings, art prints, and vinyl stickers with their original designs.
What inspires you?
I find inspiration all over the place, anywhere from kitschy 70’s horror art to vintage children’s book illustrations. I love to find art from other creatives online, especially other queer artists and people from different creative and cultural backgrounds. I try to surround myself with inspiration, whether it’s from art prints I can hang on my walls, stickers from other artists on my laptop, or even going for a walk around town and trying to find inspiration in the buildings and nature.
Why is supporting YouthSeen important to you?
I think the work that YouthSeen is really important—This kind of community support was so essential to me as a queer teen, and I love to see organizations like YouthSeen doing work to support queer young people. I donated a set of stickers to the silent auction back in August and am thrilled to be a part of the December auction
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Joanna Hoge (She/they)
IG: @joannallyson
Website: joannahoge.com
Joanna was born in Virginia, grew up in Missouri and is currently based in Colorado. They make drawings that they cut and embroider.
What inspires you?
My practice is inspired by the rifts and resonance between one’s psychology and one’s physiology. My drawings use anatomical rendering as a site for integration, blurring the lines between an objective, scientific understanding of the body’s parts and a personal sense of embodiment.
Why is supporting YouthSeen important to you?
Supporting YouthSeen is important to me because it fosters inclusivity and empowerment in our local community. In today’s political climate, it feels more important than ever to create spaces where queer youth feel seen and accepted.
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Brooke Svitak (they/them)
IG: bsvis
Website: http://brookesvitakphotos.com
Brooke is from North Aurora, Illinois and lives in Denver, Colorado. They are a photographer who focuses on landscapes, portraits, lifestyle and portraying queer community.
What inspires you?
Leaning into the understanding of polarity is what inspires me. When you look at a photo, you see the highlights, the shadows, and the midtones. They exist because of each other, and you can’t have one without the other. To me, photography shows the dichotomous fluidity of life and all its mystery. The contrasts illuminate the hidden, and obvious beauties and meaning of the world, relationships, nature, and the combo of all collective experience.
Why is supporting YouthSeen important to you?
YouthSeen is there at the most developmental and influential stages of life and an org like this has all my support. As a youth, I felt hidden. I felt misunderstood by my family, society, religion, and myself. It wasn’t until recently (an ongoing exploration) that I discovered parts of myself and am continuing to unfold, and further, allow others to see me. As a white, queer, ace, nonbinary, transmasc, ethical nonmongamous, Pokémon trainer, it is my deepest yearning for our future generations to have the space and power to show up authentically, express themselves, be loved, and embraced and encouraged to show up and make change.
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Basil Beckham (They/ThemTheirs)
IG: @passion4goo
Etsy: HandofBasilisk
Basil is originally from Northern Virginia and resides in Denver, Colorado. They are a painter and illustrator. Basil says, “Most of my work is intended to be reflective and emotive pieces, and a great deal of my paintings are to capture a sense of queer intimacy.”
What are you inspired by?
I’m inspired by raw, honest artists who are vulnerable and imaginative and who usually speak to experiences within the queer community. I feel so connected to and moved by people who use their creativity to discuss important topics.
Why is supporting YouthSeen important to you?
YouthSeen is one of very few organizations in Colorado that focuses on all ages of trans PoGM youth and their loved ones. YouthSeen builds such a beautiful foundation for these individuals to connect to each other and get support with many challenges they may face. Being involved as a volunteer with YouthSeen has been so special and important in my life, and I just want others to witness the good they do.
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River Story they/them
IG: Aeaea_art
River is a visual artist from Fort Morgan, Colorado, I currently live in Longmont, Colorado. They paint watercolors with stippling and ink of animals.
What inspires you?
My inspiration comes from the beauty of nature and my intense desire to create. I adore animals. I also love creating in many forms and that feeling of needing to create is the life force behind my inspiration. As someone who is new to creating art, I still have so much to learn, and a lot of my inspiration comes from other artists.
Why is supporting YouthSeen important to you?
Supporting the LGBTQ youth community is very near and dear to me. As a member of the community, I did not feel safe or supported in my youth. I want to help others have a better experience than mine. I want our LGBTQ youth to feel safe, supported, loved, and to have a community to support this experience.
