City unveils 2SLGBTQIA+ group exhibit, ‘Full Colour,’ at City Hall during Pride Month

City Culture Coordinator Chelsea Ryan hangs a work of art in the Third-Floor Gallery at City Hall, part of the art exhibition, titled “Full Colour: A Celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ Art and Expression,” on display during Pride Month through Aug. 14, 2026.

Tomorrow, Friday, June 5, the City of St. Catharines will unveil a group exhibit, titled “Full Colour: A Celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ Art and Expression,” during our Pride Month celebrations.

The “Full Colour” exhibition of 20 artworks celebrates the depth, diversity and vibrancy of queer and trans artistic practices. This City exhibition will bring together 15 artists from St. Catharines and across the Niagara Region working in disciplines, including painting, prints, drawings, textiles, and sculpture, to explore the many ways 2SLGBTQIA+ communities express identity, build connection, and imagine new possibilities.

The “Full Colour” exhibition opening reception will take place on Thursday, June 11 from 4 to 6 p.m., with speeches at 5 p.m., in the Third Floor Gallery space at City Hall, 50 Church St. The exhibition will be on display to the public during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, through Aug. 14, 2026.

"Full Colour celebrates the diversity, vibrancy, and lived experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ artists,” said curator Leigh MacLeod, founder / director of Willow Arts Community. “Through a range of mediums, perspectives, and stories, this exhibition celebrates the resilience, joy, and contributions of queer and trans people, past and present."

The “Full Colour” 2SLGBTQIA+ Artists Callout welcomed submissions that engage with themes including, but not limited to:

Identity, gender, and sexuality
Visibility, resistance, and advocacy
Joy, celebration, and chosen family
Memory, history, and community archives
Transformation, fluidity, and becoming
Futures, imagination, and queer world-building

The City strongly encouraged submissions from artists who reflect the diversity of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, including Two-Spirit, trans, non-binary, racialized, Indigenous, disabled, and neurodivergent artists.

“Full Colour” is the City’s second annual Artist Callout specifically to 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Last year’s special exhibit, “Pride in Every Step, Love in Every Action,” was the City’s first Poetry Callout and its inaugural Artist Callout specifically to 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

The City Hall art exhibition program is coordinated through the Cultural Services Office at the City’s Community Recreation and Culture Services department.