Students who want to check out new art while also receiving a message about the LGBTQIA+ community can attend senior in art education Brooklyn Petrie’s Senior Art Exhibition Nov. 30 in the Art Building. Petrie will also have a gallery talk at the show. Her senior show opened Nov. 28 and will be available for viewing through Dec. 9.

Petrie did not always start off as an art education major; while in Zeta Tau Alpha, she did lots of arts and crafts and her sorority sisters gave positive feedback about her work. She is no longer a member of Zeta Tau Alpha but enjoyed what she was doing, which led her to change her major from English education to art education.

“I looked for ways to pursue that and I still wanted to be in the field of education. I guess that’s kind of what led that together. That’s been, like, the perfect mix ever since,” Petrie said.

Petrie also said that the purpose of her art gallery is to advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, which she considers herself a part of. She is very passionate about providing LGBTQIA+ representation and staying up to date on the rights for people in the community. Petrie wants to be an “out” teacher for her students because she did not have that while growing up.

Several different concepts are focused on in her work, with each presented in a unique way. Petrie uses color, black and white, 3D mediums and even a digital art piece in her show.

One of the pieces is called “Body Shop” which is a hands-on art piece. It is a stimulated store that will contain different products for people who does not identify as cisgender. The products will be things people could or would need to eliminate or mitigate body and gender dysphoria.

“The purpose of that is to get out the awareness of products that people who are not cisgender could need to be able to feel comfortable in their body,” Petrie said.

Check out more of Petrie’s work on her website.

Edited by Glorianna Noland, Alijah McCracken