The Plough is delighted to be hosting a new Exhibition in celebration of Pride Month 2025, featuring the work of LGBTQ+ artsists based in North Devon. The exhibition also supports the Bideford and Barnstaple PRIDE marches being organised by Sunrise Diversity to mark Pride month 2025 - full details here(link is external)
Individual Artsists showing work include:
Adam Garrett
Elliot Bradshaw
Pat Jump
Lex
On Wednesday 4th June The Plough hosted an opening event for members of the community to share news of current projects and promote activities being planned to mark the Pride marches. An engaging 'in conversation' took place between contemporary artist Adam Garrett, photographer Pat Jump and The Plough's curator Grace Rodgers, where disussion around photographic techniques led naturally into the joyful realisation that light contains the full spectrum of colours within it.
This year the global theme for PRIDE 2025 is 'The Fabric of Freedom', so we are honoured to be hosting a very special collaborative work:
PRIDE is a collaboration between The Burton at Bideford, Bideford Pride and the community.
Lead Artist: Carole Evans 2025
Squares submitted by:
Groups: The Burton Youth Collective; The Burton Sewing Bee; Brave Spaces; Learn Devon (at Bideford Library); Out in the Country LGBT+ Social Group; Bideford Pride Youth Workshop.
Individuals: Liz Wilde, Hazel, Ally, Alison, Sue, Helen Cooper, Toni Rance, Brett Richmond, Craig Moule, Sally, Rosie, Matt Davies, Aaron Bennett, Judith Swindell, David Harries.
The banner consists of over 200 colour-coded fabric squares, submitted by members of the community following an open call led by The Burton at Bideford. Together, the squares create the Progress Pride flag: a symbol of love and inclusivity. The Progress Pride flag is a modified version of the traditional rainbow pride flag, incorporating additional stripes to represent marginalised communities within the LGBTQ+ spectrum. It includes stripes for transgender individuals, people of colour, and those affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
There is a deep history between LGBTQIA+ rights and patchwork, most importantly perhaps in the AIDS Memorial Quilt. This quilt was started in 1985 by human rights activist Cleve Jones, with each block of the quilt dedicated to someone who has died of AIDS. It includes nearly 50,000 panels dedicated to more than 110,000 individuals; an epic memorial which would cover the area of the National Mall in Washington DC if it was laid out.
The UK version of the AIDS Memorial Quilt(link is external) will be displayed in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern, London, from 12–16 June 2025.
The Plough's curator Grace Rodgers says, "It has been an honour to platform the creative talents of these 3 young artists, who are all part of North Devon's LGBTQ+ community, through PRIDE PAINTED. For some of them, this is their first public exhibition and we are grateful for their bravery in showing such expressive work for the first time as part of the show. It is also a great pleasure to welcome Contemporary Artist Adam Garrett to the Gallery - I invite everyone to come and experience his bold, large-scale works featuring the use of industrial reclaimed materials and screen-printing techniques. We are honoured, especially, to be hosting PRIDE - a colourful manifestation of the power of collaborative creativity, which is so vital in the context of the inequalities faced by the LGBTQ+ community worldwide. When Lead Artist Carole Evans approached The Plough in response to the Call Out for the exhibition, I felt extremely excited about having the opportunity to display PRIDE for our visitors to enjoy and feel inspired by. I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed work to this show".
The Plough recognises that artists identifying as LGBTQ+ often face systemic barriers in accessing opportunities within the UK art world. We aim to address these inequalities and dedicate this platform to amplify the voices and creative talents within the local LGBTQ+ community.
PRIDE PAINTED is supported by Arts Council England.
The Plough Gallery is committed to creating inclusive opportunities in the arts and ensuring that all members of our community are represented and celebrated.
Please come and visit the exhibiton 4 Jun - 14 Jun and join The Plough in celebrating PRIDE 2025!