'What Remains' Art Project Supports LGBTQIA+ Mental Health

Agency Venables Bell + Partners and the Schlomer Haus Gallery have launched an exhibition to raise funds for young LGBTQIA+ artists and ensure that San Francisco’s Pride parade makes an impact beyond the month of June. Dubbed “What Remains,” the project features work from 10 local creators, each incorporating debris from this year’s parade into their artwork.

The effort supports Queer LifeSpace’s EQUARTY program, which “provides equitable access to mental health services and artistic resources that promote the growth, stability, and visibility of young queer artists in the Bay Area.” 

Matt Keats, group creative director at VB+P, points to harrowing statistics indicating that 45 percent of these young people considered suicide over the past year.

“You quickly realize that merely celebrating Pride for one month out of the year or using Pride to line the pockets of corporate bottom lines isn’t enough—real, tangible, genuine support is needed year-round,” Keats says. “The thinking started by simply trying to find a way, even a small way, to make Pride more permanent, and at the same time, be a response to all the rainbow washing and superficial support that always disappears when July rolls around.”

VB+P will also sell 25 limited edition prints of each piece through the gallery’s Instagram shop. Proceeds will be split 50/50 between the artists and Queer LifeSpace. 

“That the proceeds from the art go directly to an organization like Queer LifeSpace meant that the campaign’s impact wouldn’t just be awareness, it would be making a real difference with a benefit, you can see and feel,” Keats says. 

Here are some examples of the items on display: