Eye to Eye: Portraits of Pride, Strength, Beauty - Artist Talk

Eye to Eye: Portraits of Pride, Strength, and Beauty
Opening Reception / Artist Talk 
March 11, 2023
Noon – 1 pm 
Bob Ragland Branch Library

In honor of Women’s History month, we are turning the library into an art gallery for this special photography show about women who aren’t typically recognized during Women’s History Month: They are older women, and they are part of the LGBTQ community.

At this event, we will present the photographer, Carey Candrian, and several of her participants to talk about the “what” and the “why” of this show. The women in the portraits and on the panel grew up when coming out meant risking their health, their jobs, their housing, their families, their friends. To stay safe, many stayed silent for years. In these portraits and in this event, they break that silence to be seen as they really are, to show you that being openly LGBTQ is profoundly human and courageous. Their history IS women’s history.

Photographer Carey Candrian is an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and she serves on the National Board of Directors at GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality. She came out to herself when she was 16 and didn’t tell her family and friends until she was 28. She interviewed nearly three dozen older LGBTQ women (59-85 years old) during the first year of COVID-19 to understand their health needs and the challenges as they age. Her portraits came out of those interviews.