Bold and Brilliant: The Colors of LGBTQIA+ Pride
San Diego artist Carole Kuck’s latest series, Bold and Brilliant: The Colors of LGBTQIA+ Pride, is a deeply intentional exploration of identity and community. Across 80 hand-painted panels, blocks, and towers, Kuck interprets more than 50 Pride flags into sculptural forms that celebrate the spectrum of LGBTQIA+ experience.
She began the series as a personal act of discovery and resistance. “I had a vague idea of what the rainbow flag stood for, but I didn’t really know what all the stripes meant,” Kuck shared. That curiosity led her into deeper research, uncovering a multitude of flags designed with intention. “These were people who had such clarity about who they were and how they wanted to be seen. I wanted to honor that.”
The work blends Kuck’s background in mathematics and music with her emerging visual language as a painter. She faced the challenge of how to incorporate flat designs into three dimensional artworks. But behind the formal designslies a deeper message of visibility for all of us. “The fact that we even need these flags tells you something,” she said. “I didn’t grow up with words for who I am. That’s why this work became so personal. It’s about being able to say, I see you. And I see myself, too.”
As anti-LGBTQ+ policies gain traction across the country, Kuck sees this installation as a response. “This is not about politics—it’s about presence,” she said. “It’s about standing in your truth and saying, we are still here.”
Words of Pride: A Community Speaks
Words of Pride is a mural-scale installation created by 30 LGBTQ+ artists from San Diego. What started as a conversation with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s San Diego GLBTQ Historic Task Force took shape as an artwork celebrating Hillcrest’s official designation as the LGBTQ Cultural District. Each artist transformed an individual word into a work of art. Together, the artpieces became a visual representation of our community’s spirit. Words of Pride will be unveiled on July 12 as an 8-foot tall, 12-foot wide triptych that anchors the PROUD+ experience through the voices of our local community.
Chad Berwald (he/him), who painted the word True, explained, “Let your true colors bloom is what came to my mind. It’s only when you live your true self that you’re able to fully bloom.” That authenticity runs throughout the installation, where meaning is layered into every brushstroke.
Jay Walker (they/them) chose the word Enough, affirming a long-earned sense of self-worth. “There’s power in saying I am enough, just as I am,” they shared. “I wanted my word to be something that could stand alone but still reach other people.”
8th Annual PROUD+
The PROUD+ exhibition runs July 3 through August 1, 2025, at The Studio Door (3867 Fourth Avenue, Hillcrest). Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 AM to 6 PM. Admission is free.
This year’s 8th annual exhibit is in collaboration with Juror Jonathan Carver Moore (San Francisco Gallerist) and features works by LGBTQ artists from across the nation along with a spotlight on renown photographer Max-Arthur Mantle (Los Angeles).
Saturday, July 12 will host back-to-back receptions. A VIP reception from 4 to 6 PM offers early access to the exhibition and its artists. VIP tickets are available for $100 and directly support Words of Pride. From 6 to 9 PM, the public is invited to join in for the annual free community reception where everyone can take part in celebrating this landmark show.
Gallerist Patric Stillman was recently acknowledged by the San Diego Business Journal as one of the LGBTQ+ Leaders of Influence 2025.
To learn more about the exhibition, preview the artists, or reserve VIP tickets, visit thestudiodoor.com/proud-2025.