By Frances Grant

To coincide with Pride Month, the 5 & Dime, A Theatre Company presents The Laramie Project (June 15-July 1). Yellow House and the LGBT Resource Center at the University of North Florida (UNF) have joined forces to organize an exhibition as a tribute to the emotionally powerful and socially profound play. The following artists are featured in the gallery show: Elaine Hosking, Bane Campos, and Ricder Ricardo.

Born in Anchorage, Alaska and raised in the Midwest, Elaine Hosking now calls Jacksonville, Florida her home. She recently graduated from the UNF with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and a dual minor in American Sign Language and Professional Education. While attending UNF, Hosking worked as a student assistant at the LGBT Resource Center. Hosking chose to include a set on digital composite cyanotype prints that expound on themes concerning gender identity, sexuality, and the human figure.

Bane Campos is currently a Sophomore at UNF where he is pursuing a degree in Art History with a minor in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking. Much of his experience in art stems from self-study and Campos continues to develop his artistic practice while being active in the LGBT community of Jacksonville. Having relocated from Boca Raton, Campos is eager to establish himself as a printmaker and draftsman. According to Campos, “[…] not every work reflects the textbook definitions of queerness and romanticized struggles, they instead offer a platform to present life as a person who is queer rather than a life of a queer person.”

Born in Havana, Cuba in 1985, Ricder Ricardo’s family emigrated to the United States in 2000. His multicultural background and identity as a gay man largely influence the themes expressed in his artwork. Having recently graduated from UNF with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking and a minor in Photography, Ricardo is an accomplished painter and printmaker. He has received several accolades which include being honored as Best in Show at both the 2016 UNF Preserve Show and 2017 Student Juried Annual Exhibit. He also exhibited his work at the 2017 FURC in Boca Raton, the 2017 Sigma Tau Delta at UNF, the 2017 Southern Graphics Council International in Atlanta, and the 2017 UNF SOARS.

A Talkback session and reception for the gallery show will take place on Sunday, June 24. Be sure to check the 5 & Dime website for the showtimes and tickets: http://the5anddime.org/.