Art exhibition celebrates Center building

An Art Exhibit called, "Building a Center," has been erected in 41 Park Row to commemorate the literal building of the University's first ever Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer and Ally (LGBTQA) and Social Justice Center.

The exhibit, which is made of hundreds of photographs of University students, staff, faculty and alumni holding signs that read, "LGBTQA Center Requested at Pace" represents the many layers of individual involvement necessary to make change.

For more than a year and a half, the LGBTQA Task Force, the Stonewall Coalition and allied organizations have rallied the University community around the creation of the Center and has inspired departments, alumni and other individuals to donate bits and pieces to literally create this space.

The Center has been gifted chairs, desks, computers, original art, hundreds of books, programmatic funds and scholarships.

"It is small but revolutionary and every picture, as an amalgamated whole, represents what a campus can do, once united," senior and Stonewall Coalition President Lorendra Pinder said.

The exhibit is a reflection of the reality that it took many individuals coming together to form a coalition around a specific need in order to make change. University seniors Susana Lucero and Bouchra Aanouz volunteered at the LGBTQA Center to build the exhibit.

"We both feel that we wanted to contribute something to the Center to show our support and to give back to the Pace community members who have made it possible for us to have this incredible and necessary Center. We hope to stay connected as alumni!" Lucero said.

As the art exhibit reflects, this movement was built by the small and large offerings of time, energy, heart, supplies, funds and power of hundreds of individuals on campus.

"I hope the work we continue to do gives students who may be considering joining Stonewall and being on the Executive Board incentive to do so. We need willing and able folks to keep the cogs of this great machine turning. Each of us stepping up to the plate and doing our part is the only way," Pinder said.

This movement still requires the energy and efforts of people on campus. Currently the Center is established, but the Task Force is waiting on the administration to secure funding for full-time staff and programs.