"Arleen Olshan: The Tangle I've Gotten Into" on view through Feb. 21 at iMPeRFeCT Gallery
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- "Arleen Olshan: The Tangle I've Gotten Into" is a retrospective by an artist and activist who helped found the William Way LGBT Community Center half a century ago.
"There's a whole gamut of relationships in this room," laughs Olshan.
The room is at iMPeRFeCT Gallery in Germantown.
"We have some really stunning works," says Jake Foster, Art Exhibitions Manager at the William Way LGBT Community Center. "And lots of it hasn't been seen for a very, very long time."
There are drawings, paintings and photographs dating back to 1964.
"They're important historically for Philadelphia's LGBTQ community," says Foster.
"It's wonderful to have them all in one place," says Olshan.
The exhibition features two series. The first one memorializes those lost, inspired by a plea from Gil Forman, a lifelong friend living with HIV/AIDS.
"He gave me a photo and said, 'Please paint me, I do not want to be forgotten,'" says Olshan.
"This is Gil Forman and his lover Zach," says Olshan, referring to their portrait.
"There were literally hundreds of people who have passed in my life, that had touched my life through activism - friends, lovers, coworkers, neighbors, artists, writers," says Olshan.
"Joe Beam, he created the first anthology of Black gay writers," says Foster.
He adds that many people Olshan painted made "a huge difference and impact in our community."
"Rita Addessa did manage to pass a gay rights bill," says Olshan. "These people will be remembered and not erased."
A series called 'Women Loving Women' features Olshan's work from the 1970s and '80s.
"We were all just coming out," says Olshan of her work titled Our Hearts Were Young and Gay.
"We were celebrating being lesbians," she says. "I don't want people to stop feeling that celebration."
That exhibition is on view through February 21 at iMPeRFeCT Gallery. Many of these works are for sale.
"Arleen Olshan: The Tangle I've Gotten Into" - iMPeRFeCT Gallery
iMPeRFeCT Gallery
5539 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, Pa. 19144
Hours: Fridays & Saturdays 12-5pm
