SHOW UP FOR PRIDE

Every June and all year long, we’re celebrating the people, art and stories that bring pride and joy to our community. We’re excited to share our Little Free Library Pride campaign, an art collaboration, and more.

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY

This month, we’re stocking our Little Free Libraries with books celebrating Pride. While visiting Legacy Place this June, we encourage you to connect, explore, and learn by stopping by our LFL (next to Henry Bear’s Park) to grab a fresh read and share some of your favorites, too. We’ll be restocking our Libraries once a week throughout the month of June and beyond, so be sure to check in every week for a fresh read.

If you stop by and have trouble finding a Pride book, DM us on Instagram, and we will let you know when new reads can be available! Additional books are available for purchase at Barnes & Noble.

PRIDE SCULPTURES BY JOHN GUTHRIE

We’ve partnered with Boston-based artist John Guthrie, whose art embodies the openness and freedom of expression that we strive to bring to our spaces. As part of our collaboration, John created a series of new works that celebrate the many facets of Pride and its place in our lives in his signature style, which he defines as queer abstraction. In addition to his work as an abstract painter, John is the founder and director of Very, a contemporary art gallery in Boston. This June and beyond, see John’s vibrant sculpture titled Expression at Legacy Place, near Kendra Scott

In 2022, we had the chance to ask John a few questions about his art, his inspiration and what Pride means to him.

Q: How has art helped you to understand and celebrate who you are?
A: I was born to be a painter. I was put on this earth to make art. Every day I feel compelled to act on this gift. Making art doesn’t make me understand myself but rather express something that is within me.

Q: What role do you believe art plays (or should play) at a
community level?
A: Art should be endemic to the communities where we live. For me, the purpose of art is to allow people, both individually and in group settings, to express emotions, commemorate history, expose injustices, overcome obstacles, and gain an understanding of the world around them.

Q: What do you hope people feel when they see your work?
A: I want people to have a sense of wonder or awe. Every viewer is unique. As an artist who makes abstract work, I realize that everyone has their own reactions to what they see. I try not to be didactic and leave open a range of possibilities.

Q: From what sources do you draw the most inspiration?
A: For the last ten years, non-Western art has been my biggest source of inspiration, including prehistoric art, all varieties and periods of Native American Art, and ancient Egyptian art, to name a few.

Q: What does Pride mean to you?
A: Pride is being my true self and expressing myself fully as an artist and a human being.