Current Exhibition

***Queer Joy***
August 1st -30th 2025
“Unprecedented times” is the phrase we hear so often these days. We hear it amidst the rise of discriminatory practices, hateful language, and state-sanctioned prejudice. These are real concerns, affecting real lives, including (but not limited to) queer lives. We also see both queer and non-queer individuals rising against these types of actions. Risking very real consequences to say “this is not right” and “this is not the society we want to live in.” We are inspired by these persons, motivated by them, and humbled by them.
And yet, we wonder – what role does queer joy play in this resistance? What role does queer joy play in dreaming of a different future than the reality we currently know? And also – can we just F-ing celebrate queer joy sometimes?? In a day and age as fraught as this one, Gallery5 wants to provide space with this exhibition to be bold, bright, brash, and beautiful; to celebrate queer identity, authenticity, and self-hood. We want to welcome and accept queer individuals, because of the beauty, power, and generative energy that is the queer community in Richmond.
Another way to say this is that like all groups marginalized by those in power, queer identities are not simply defined by their struggles. They are also defined by how they choose to define themselves, including their joy in their identities and lives. We believe that joy is integral to resilience and bright futures - of queer individuals, and of the communities that include them. Resilience is nothing without the ability to revel in what it means to be who we are as humans – and in this case, queer humans.
*Queer Joy* is proud to feature works by:
Shawnis
Allison Kinney
Emerson Wurinaris
Cardamom Beloin
Sasha Sidhu
Erin Janicki
Anna Showers-Cruser
Emily Cook Asaro
Sam Lichtenstein
Naomi Rogers
Qing Imzadi
Hannah Dunn
Cosmic Brat / Riley Claywell
Lynn Ellin Zeigler
Makenzie Goff
Michelle Roberts
Check out the image album from the First Friday opening on Facebook!

For over 20 years, Gallery5 has been host to work from hundreds of artists, from established, internationally recognized creators, to burgeoning talent.

Our mission is to make art accessible to the community, and to make opportunities to show work accessible to artists.

Every month Gallery5 hosts a new show, opening in conjunction with Richmond Arts District’s First Fridays art walk. Our shows feature local and regional talent, and our commitment to working with a variety of artists means that the work is diverse, and ranges from printmaking, to photography, to sculpture, to sequential art (and more), sometimes all in the same show.