Contemporary Queer: A Love Letter jurors and co-board presidents, Lucy Yan and Laura Kathrein speak about their background, intentions as jurors, and work at Gallery 263.
Can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from?
Lucy: I was raised in Beijing by a single American mom before moving to Boston to study electrical engineering in 2010. Career wise I’ve transitioned from Peking Opera to engineering and industrial design, then back to fine art via oil painting. It’s been a wild ride!
Laura: I am originally from the suburbs of Chicago, lived all over the country, and settled the last 9 years in Jamaica Plain. Art, film, music, and movement were incredibly important aspects of my childhood and upbringing. I trained to be a professional ballerina, but shifted to a career in outdoor adventure education in college. My professional experiences have woven contemporary dance, site specific movement, filmmaking, environmental education, afterschool programming, and community organizing.
Were there any pivotal moments or people who inspired you to pursue art?
Lucy: Despite always wanting to draw and paint, a career in the arts never felt stable enough to pursue… But death has a way of putting life into perspective and I haven’t looked back since. When my Chinese grandfather (and artistic role model) passed away in 2023, I abandoned my decade-long career in engineering to pursue representational oil painting. Artist and Academy of Realist Art (ARA) Instructor Eric Johnson was the first person who suggested I could be a painter if I put in the work, and I will be forever grateful to his encouragement. Both instructors and students continue to inspire me at ARA on a daily basis.
Laura: Art was always something I wanted to pursue, I just never knew what form that would take. It wasn’t until I lived in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, that things began to come into focus. There, I started to understand how I could combine my background as a professional dancer, outdoor educator, and community organizer into something meaningful. Working with fellow Bethlehem resident and artist Katherine Ferrier inspired me to take an active role in shaping the kind of community I wanted to be part of. She gave me the opportunity to support local initiatives which motivated me to continue community art/art nonprofit work in Boston.
It was also in the mountains of New Hampshire that I learned I could dance for myself in nature, and that was enough.
Can you tell us a little about how you ended up at Gallery 263?
Lucy: In 2021 I saw an incredibly creative fundraising video produced by Laura Kathrein for Gallery 263 and I immediately thought “I found my people”. After joining the board for a few years I can happily say that my intuition was right. The volunteers and staff are curious, kind, funny, and inspired. We have authors, activists, musicians, painters, engineers…many backgrounds in our group.
Laura: While pursuing my MEd in Community Arts at Lesley, I interned at the Peabody Essex Museum, where I met Hannah Swartz, a former Gallery 263 board member. She and I shared similar values about the importance of local arts organizations and community run arts initiatives so she invited me to become involved at the gallery. I joined the general board in 2017 and stepped in as board president in 2021.
Behind the scenes
Left: Laura spackles gallery walls between shows. Right: Lucy soliciting volunteers at a community networking night
How do you approach the process of jurying a show like Contemporary Queer? Are there specific themes or artistic approaches that particularly resonate with you?
Lucy: For all shows that I participate in the selection process for, I look for the work to match the artist’s perspective and description of the work. In terms of artistic approaches that resonate, sincerity and honesty help me connect with pieces. We are expecting a wide range of perspectives and diverse mediums, I am eager to include any work where viewers can connect with the artist.
Laura: When jurying a show like Contemporary Queer, I’m particularly inspired by work that provokes and invites a deeper reflection on one’s own lived experience. For me, the most compelling work often lives in that space of tension, it doesn’t just speak to identity, it confronts it, reimagines it, or complicates it.
Since this is an exhibition highlighting queer experiences, I feel compelled to bring astrology into this interview. Lucy and I are both Scorpios so we naturally bring a highly analytical, intuitive, and observant lens to the process. My Scorpio juror lens tends to seek out the hidden truths or emotions in a piece, the things that aren’t always immediately visible but linger in mood, symbolism, or material choices.
The exhibition emphasizes intersectionality and visibility—how do you balance curating a diverse range of voices while maintaining a cohesive vision for the show?
Lucy: Since the vision is to affirm queer existence, if we can incorporate a multitude of queer perspectives and experiences, I will consider that a demonstration of vibrancy and success. In diversity there is beauty and there is strength (and a good exhibition).
Laura: The subtitle of the exhibition is “A Love Letter” since we live our queer identities differently, we also give and receive love in different forms. As the exhibition embraces these multitudes of existence, the show will coalesce thanks to the courage and care each artist pours into their work.
How do you see exhibitions like Contemporary Queer contributing to the creation of social capital within creative spaces?
Lucy: While I personally hope this exhibition will build economic support for queer artists as 100% of sales go directly to the creators, at the very least we are creating vital opportunities for community networking and support. The more we are bombarded with hatred and resistance, the more we need to intentionally take care of ourselves, and support one another. Contemporary Queer: A Love Letter is deliberately centering queer narratives in hopes to uplift and affirm queer experiences.
Laura: Exhibitions like Contemporary Queer: A Love Letter contribute to the creation of social capital by fostering a space where the queer community can connect, share experiences, and build relationships through art. At Gallery 263, we’ve seen firsthand how a small, dedicated art space can spark collaboration, offer resources, and create opportunities for both emerging and established artists. As volunteers, board members, and staff, we are deeply involved in every aspect of the gallery’s operation because we understand the importance of these spaces in cultivating community pride, professional networks, and a sense of belonging. In this way, Contemporary Queer is an opportunity for the queer community to strengthen bonds, amplify voices, and grow the social capital that supports LGBTQIA2S+ artists and organizers.
Contemporary Queer: A Love Letter is currently excepting submissions until May 4. Apply Here