CAMP Rehoboth ImpACT
If it is our ACTions that speak louder than words, then the ImpACT of CAMP Rehoboth is most evident not only in our advocacy work but in the day-to-day programs, classes, counseling, and health testing we offer. The Membership Team will highlight one ImpACT story in future issues of Letters to help exemplify and celebrate the successes that your membership gift makes possible. Stay tuned to see how even a minor ImpACT can have a huge affect on someone’s life!
Celebrating Both the Young and Young at HeART Artists of Our Community
The student-artist’s pride was evident as he stood before his artwork, hung in a real exhibit for the very first time. Even more evident: the pride his family took in him as they toured that recent CAMP Rehoboth art exhibit, commUNITY. He’d arranged the tour just so they could see his work, framed and hung in the context of others’ creations.
It may well have been the first time this family ever visited an LGBTQ community center—but there they were, celebrating their artist’s success. Outreach at CAMP Rehoboth comes in many forms, especially during a pandemic.
Artwork by Susan Frey
A multigenerational exhibit, commUNITY also featured works by artists age 55+. These older exhibitors may be more experienced artists than their student counterparts. But they may be equally young to the freedoms found in CAMP Rehoboth’s welcoming environment. They may find themselves tackling subjects they never before considered. Or using art to express themselves in new ways. Radical acceptance can foster remarkable growth and change, whatever one’s age.
CAMP Rehoboth Arts Chair Leslie Sinclair attests to the importance of the arts—to outreach, to self-fulfillment, and even to finding solace during pandemic times: “The arts are more essential than ever! They allow us to escape the concerns of the day, yet also draw us in. Both contemporary pieces and older ones—reinterpreted in the light of a pandemic—can serve to remind viewers what is important in life today.”
CommUNITY—named to emphasize unity, even in a time of physical and social isolation—was just one exhibit to highlight the communities that compose CAMP Rehoboth. Others have celebrated the Bear Community, women, and more. Last year’s Breaking Barriers exhibit featured artists sharing how they’ve used art to address stereotypes, push through obstacles, and amplify their voices.
Art enriches artists’ lives, the lives of all who view it, and the communities—such as CAMP Rehoboth—which inspire, value, and celebrate the arts.