About your facilitator: Shannon Novak’s work aims to reduce anxiety, depression, and suicide rates for the LGBTQI+ community worldwide. He seeks to dismantle heteronormative structures and systems and build spaces that acknowledge, celebrate, and support diversity and inclusion in sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics (SROGIESC+). This manifests as socially engaged and collaborative painting, photography, installation, sculpture, and curatorial practice that may extend beyond traditional exhibition spaces. The work explores light and dark in the past, present, and future, but ultimately seeks to grow hope for a better world where the LGBTQI+ community can live without fear. Central to Novak’s collaborative process is an attitude of respect and care. Key areas of focus in his work include LGBTQI+ activism, centering LGBTQI+ BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) communities, and illuminating, preserving, and sharing LGBTQI+ history.

Photograph by Pati Solomona Tyrell.