From our founding in 1978, OFF THE WALL has been a welcoming home for otherness, a place where so-called societal norms are enthusiastically subverted and emphatically rejected. Proudly in the heart of the Gayborhood, our gallery and our bar are all about emphasizing inclusion and amplifying all voices, especially those with fewer opportunities to be heard, appreciated and recognized.
But until the summer of 2019, we had never put out a call for outstanding art created through a queer lens. That year, to commemorate Stonewall at 50, we launched the juried show BRICK BY BRICK. It was a resounding success and remains a landmark exhibition in our storied history.
Enter THE SEQUEL. Can a sequel ever be the equal of an original? It’s a question most often bandied about by cinephiles. But art lovers should have their own turn. BRICK BY BRICK 2 offers an appropriate response: Sequel? This is a second iteration. Some artists for edition #2 are the same; some are different. Plus, we are perhaps at a more urgent juncture in American history, with many of our rights newly endangered. You might say the activist spirit of this show is not so much about celebrating Stonewall at 55 as it is about avoiding Armageddon ‘25.
The gloves-off nature of this statement should not suggest this show is overtly political in its construct. It most often captures lived experience and tells personal stories of transformation and pride—during and beyond our month of Pride. With BRICK BY BRICK 2 continuing through July 19, we hope you come back several times during June and on through the Independence Day festivities, which provide another deep moment of reflection with our democracy in the balance, hurtling toward a precipitous fall election cycle.
As James Baldwin once said, “…multitudes and multitudes of people for various reasons of their own enslave themselves every hour of every day to this or that doctrine, this or that delusion of safety, this or that lie…. We are living in a universe really of willing slaves, which makes the concept of liberty and the concept of freedom so dangerous.”
(NOTA BENE TO ONLINE BUYERS: While we requisition in-person purchases on an almost-daily basis, it is still possible that you may purchase something on this website that may have already sold in our Gallery. We will make every effort to avoid this circumstance.)
