OUT LOUD 2024: Growing Pains

Growing Pains unites the work of 21 LGBTQ+ teen artists participating in UMOCA’s eighth Out Loud program. Over the course of 12 weeks, the 2024 Out Loud series explored new media and contemporary art practices with workshops in areas including comics, photography, printmaking, and sustainable fashion. Alongside local queer artists, the Out Loud participants, who represent 14 different Utah high schools, created work focusing on themes of nostalgia for their childhood experiences coupled with anticipation for the challenges that come with growing up queer in Utah. As anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric continue to rise, Growing Pains bears witness to the resilience and creativity of Utah’s LGBTQ+ community.