Wilmington, Del. (October 2, 2023) – The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery presents Wilmington resident and 2023 Master Fellow B. Proud’s exhibition, “Transcending Love,” on view between October 6-27, 2023.  “Transcending Love: Portraits of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Couples and Families” offers a glimpse into the relationships of transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming couples across the USA. Guests are invited to attend a Meet-the-Artist Reception on Friday, October 6 from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

“This exhibition invites the viewer to accept the subjects as everyday people with hopes and dreams and a deep abiding love. The portraits offer an invitation to accept what’s beneath the surface, not in terms of anatomy, sexuality, or gender expression, but rather what lies in the hearts and souls of the subjects,” says Proud.

The formality of these portraits, as opposed to candid photographs, is aimed at honoring the subjects in a more stately, heroic way. Through captions, quotes and/or text garnered from video interviews, the viewer learns that one or both subjects are not cisgender. Each portrait location, chosen by the couple in discussion with the artist, is significant and provides the viewer with another level of understanding into the relationship.

“For this community, visibility is validating, and these portraits offer affirmation that the subjects deserve the right to live as their true authentic selves. In many cases, the couple visibly presents as heterosexual or even homosexual, terms reserved for sexuality. This visible “normalcy” confirms that the honesty of gender expression is both non-threating and liberating. The subjects are not asking permission to live their truth, they are proudly demonstrating their right to do so,” says Proud.

As both a commercial and fine art photographer, B. Proud has exhibited her work in solo and group shows around the globe. A career highlight was photographing President Barack Obama and Lady Gaga on the same day. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Photography Department at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, and faculty at the International Center of Photography (ICP), New York.

Proud’s current work is a series of socially conscious documentary projects focused on the LGBTQ+ and transgender communities. First Comes Love is a traveling exhibition of photographs, stories, and videos of couples in long-term relationships. When the mainstream publishers refused to take on the project, Barbara forged ahead and self-published the coffee table book First Comes Love: Portraits of Enduring LGBTQ Relationships, with a foreword by icon Edie Windsor. A compilation of stunning black & white portraits and stories of 65 couples, the book has received two gold medal awards. First Comes Love has been exhibited in New York City, Philadelphia, Delaware, Washington state, Washington, DC, Seattle, Minneapolis, Florida, Berlin, Germany, and Athens, Greece. A Circle of Diamonds, a film about Edie Windsor’s diamond “engagement” pin that Proud shot, edited, and co-produced with local Philadelphia artists/composers/musicians Michael Biello and Dan Martin, has been included in more than 20 film festivals worldwide.

Proud’s projects have received grants from the B.W. Bastian Foundation, the Puffin Foundation, The University of the Arts, and the Delaware Division of the Arts, who recently awarded her the state’s exclusive Masters Fellowship. Her work is included in the Weeks Gallery, Jamestown, NY, the Delaware Art Museum, Eastman Kodak, the Center for Photography Woodstock, Haverford College, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and private collections.

The Mezzanine Gallery, open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is located on the second floor of the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington.

Image: Jake & Hannah, 2017, Photograph, Archival Pigment Print, © B. Proud

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Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications

302-577-8280, andrew.truscott@delaware.gov

The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is dedicated to cultivating and supporting the arts to enhance the quality of life for all Delawareans. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.

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