OUT Arts & Culture

OUT Arts & Culture

WHO WE ARE


OUT Arts & Culture is committed to promoting awareness of the diversity of experiences, contributions and needs of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer. We are the only center of its kind in a public library in Florida, growing from 250 books in 2015 to more than 10,000 books, CDs, DVDs and online materials today. Programs that have grown alongside the collection include: ArtOut, ReadOut, ShoutOut, BranchOut, and SpeakOut


OUT Arts & Culture has been recognized by the American Library Association, Florida Humanities and the Institute for Museum and Library Service, among others. Membership is open to all.


OUT Arts & Culture is a 501(c)3, registered with the IRS and the FDACA.

OUT Arts & Culture

Upcoming Events

ArtOut: Arts & Soul | June 1-30, 2024

ArtOUT reinforces OUT Arts and Culture's mission to promote LGBTQ+ diversity awareness. Art and Soul through the queer lens explores diverse experiences, expressions, and perspectives of LGBTQ+ individuals. Celebrating queer culture, challenging norms, and amplifying marginalized voices, it unveils beauty, truth, and authenticity in unique journeys while contributing to the LGBTQ+ community's narrative.

OUT Arts & Culture Programs

ArtOut: Seven years ago, ArtOut began as a small exhibit for local artists in June at the Gulfport Public Library. In 2022, it grew into an international juried exhibition, featuring 53 works by 35 artists from 8 countries in an on-site and virtual display. The five winners of the 2023 exhibit were displayed June 1 – 30 at the James Museum, as well as at the Gulfport Library and online. The 2024 theme for ArtOUT is Art and Soul


ReadOut: Each February since 2018, ReadOut has showcased authors and publishers, as well as providing skill-building workshops and community events, for all lovers LGBTQ literature. In 2020, ReadOut was the last on-site event held at the Gulfport Library, with 23 authors and 145 attendees at a sold-out festival. COVID required creating a never-before-attempted virtual event for 2021. More than 950 registrants from 22 countries proved the need for community is not bound by geography. ReadOUT 2024 was a hybrid event, combining accessibility with 300 literature lovers onsite and many more online.


BranchOut: In 2020, the Resource Center established an annual scholarship program to support the continuing education of an LGBTQ student who “lives, works or goes to school” in Pinellas County. In 2022, BranchOut was expanded to three scholarships of $2,000 each, recognizing the different needs of an Emerging Scholar, a Continuing Scholar and a Returning Scholar. The Raymond James Pride Inclusion Network sponsors these scholarships as part of its partnership with the Resource Center. BranchOUT scholarships will be awarded again in October 2024.


SpeakOut: In March 2022, Florida Humanities awarded a $10,000 grant to the Resource Center for a new series of hybrid dialogues on Intersections of LGBTQ Identity and Aging, Art, Law, Literature and Faith. SpeakOUT will occur again in June, September, November 2024 and January 2024 with dialogues on LGBTQ intersections in art, media and law/literature. A capstone session will be held in January 2025.


ShoutOut: The free monthly newsletter of OUT Arts & Culture. Subscribe today to receive email updates on the signature events above, plus other news of interest.


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