Faces of Pride
Faces of Pride, an art exhibition that opens in June, will feature portraits of local LGBTQ2IA+ community members. Under the creative hand of local hero, Joel Robison, the portraits will provide a unique way for all of the people in our area to get to know each other a bit better.
Robison grew up in Cranbrook and has become an award winning artist, working with organizations such as Coca-Cola, FIFA, Yahoo, Adobe, Oprah Magazine, Mariott, ArcAngel, Trevillion, PhotoNews Canada, and many more. Despite the fame, Joel continues to keep his home town close to his heart and is excited to be the 2023 Faces of Pride artist.
“I wanted to get involved in this project because I truly believe all members of our community deserve to be celebrated in an uplifting, honest and respectful way. Cranbrook is growing and changing and it's a beautiful thing to see people supporting each other and uplifting voices and stories that haven't always had an opportunity to be shared.”
Robison will design unique, artistic “Faces of Pride” portraits that will be exhibited throughout the June, July and August. The exhibition will open June 8 at the Key City Theatre, with a free to everyone Pride Party and gallery exhibition.
Key City Theatre will host the exhibit until the end of June, and then the artwork will be hosted at various businesses and organization in the area for the summer months. Manager of Events and Development Brenda Burley is seeking community partners to take part in the project.
“We are looking for local organizations to sponsor a portrait, then once the exhibit moves out to the community for the summer months, we will be encouraging people to visit the artwork, get out in the community, go for walks and visit businesses along the way to see the Faces of Pride. We are creating a map of all of the locations for people to visit.” Burley hopes this creative initiative will open doors for conversations, education and will help people in our community get to know each other a bit better. “We have a thriving, diverse community of people who have interesting lives and stories to tell. Faces of Pride will be one way for us to start to hear the stories, which will lead to greater understanding”.
Joel Robison also sees great potential for Faces of Pride. “I know that this project is going to cause positive and hopeful ripples throughout our community and hopefully reach people who might think they're alone or isolated, and show them that we're here too, that we're pillars of our community wanting to keep it safe, inclusive, respectful and diverse.”
Businesses and organizations who would like to host a Face of Pride portrait can get more information by contacting Brenda Burley at Key City Theatre.