EASTON, Pa. — This weekend, Easton’s Book & Puppet Co. will showcase art honoring diversity in the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Authenticity: A Celebration of Pride and Art,” hosted by the Omphala Foundation, will run from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at Book & Puppet Co., 161-63 Northampton St.
Twenty-one artists will present their work, which will “claim and proclaim the legitimacy and authenticity of our experience and our truth” in the queer community, organizers said.
The show is intended to be an occasion for the community to join in a conversation about “our genuine selves, our roots and how our authenticity and society interact with each other and shape each other,” organizers said.
“To be able to provide a forum for the community to have conversations about our authentic selves, I think, is a great opportunity to bring some support to the community itself..."Omphala Foundation Executive Director Gaia Abraxis
According to a release from the organizers, “The theme of authenticity, we believe, is a timely one is 2025,” as the queer community comes under sustained attacks via weaponized legislation and widespread propaganda.
Featured artists will include Gaia Abraxas, Lynn Alexander, Panik Bedlam, BeeDeeDK, Arta Brito, Janet Bruesselbach, Jay Echevarria, Enx Eeden and Meghan Farrelly.
Also, Gabriella Gentile, Kevin Horn, Liz Keough, Jackie Lima, Connor Mcgaughran, Sylvan Migdal, Johnny Naked, Catalina Nunez, Emily Strong, Tamara Tornado, Nick Turco and Jen Whitlock.
“Our art is an extension of how we perceive ourselves and express ourselves, both as individuals and as a collective,” organizers stated in a release.
“We are proud and honored to be able to create an opportunity for artists of all ages to express and share their authentic self in a safe setting, and to strengthen our community, through the power of art.”
'Gender, sexuality, identity'
Omphala Foundation Executive Director Gaia Abraxis said that when Book & Puppet Co. opened in Easton six years ago, it aimed to be a place for the progressive community.
It just so happened that the shop became a hub for the queer community, including Abraxis, who is nonbinary, and an employee who transitioned as they worked at Book & Puppet Co.
Seeing that unfold, Abraxis said, felt akin to an act of solidarity to highlight the very concept of authenticity, and not being trapped by society’s definition of a person.
“I think at some level, we all operate on a sort of a three-dimensional spectrum of gender, sexuality, identity and each person is unique and holds their own position in that range," Abraxis said.
"And to deny that and to force everybody to cluster into two extremes is to me, has always seemed pretty bizarre, not only unscientific, but inhumane.
“So to be able to provide a forum for the community to have conversations about our authentic selves, I think, is a great opportunity to bring some support to the community itself.
"But also to have those conversations for allies to also to step up and say, ‘Yeah, we're with you. We believe the same thing.’”
The exhibition is intended to provide that sense of support in honor of those who had to give up so much — including family, friends, work and more — because of their identity.
“And I think that when we do that, we're not only helping ourselves, but we are also being courageous for others who come after,” Abraxis said.
