June is PRIDE Month! Which means it is time for Chicago Urban Art Retreat’s Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Queer Art Show. Here are the guidelines for artists to follow when submitting art for the show: art should be about serious issues the LGBT community is facing. Please remember that children come to the gallery. The Chicago Urban Art Retreat Center programs are about social justice issues. This a great opportunity to inform and educate people about important issues LGBTQ folks face all the time. Along with your art, please submit 1000+ words about the importance of your issue (the words can be anonymous)— these will go into a notebook associated with the show for attendees to contribute to as well. For instance, maybe your art is about civil rights; write a narrative about the civil rights issues LGBTQ people face. Other art ideas include how LGBTQ people are viewed, LQBTQ parenting, LGBTQ people wanting to help their dying partner etc. Give careful consideration to the theme of the show and the theme of your art and narrative. We are, of course, especially interested in positive images of LGBTQ people and the community. Artists and non-artists, LGBTQ folks, interested in showing their work in this June 2012 gallery show should email images of their work to contact@urbanartretreat.com. This show will open at the Chicago Urban Art Retreat Center with a reception on June 2 at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, and will be shown all throughout June, closing on June 30 at 4 pm. Artists should plan to deliver their art to the gallery on May 26 between 11 am-4 pm, or make an appointment via email to deliver art at a different time through May 31. After the conclusion of the show, artist may pick up their work at 4 pm on June 30, or by appointment through July 3. Art remaining at CUARC after this date will face storage fees. Outsider art is welcome. Artists from other states and countries are especially welcome to submit art for consideration. Any person interested in making art to be included in the show may attend our on-site art studio on Saturday mornings, 11 am-1 pm between now and May 26. No experience needed. Art instruction and materials are free. RSVP necessary in advance by phone, 773-542-9126, leaving your name, phone number and date you wish to attend. Curating the show is Dianna C. Long, assisted by members of Out Artists Network. Meet Up may help curate art into the show for June. Do you know someone who is LGBTQ and should have art in the gallery show in June? Ask them to send images of their art via email. As artists in our community at CUARC and in Chicago, it is important to spread the word about this important showing. We ask you to make an effort to tell those you know informing them about this opportunity to open minds to LGBTQ issues. Thank you, and we can’t wait to see your work!