As Charlotte Pride brings the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer pride festival to the Queen City, the LGBT community’s creativity in film, art, music and performance will also be on display in a festival-within-a-festival called Flourish. This two-day event, August 24-25, will be held at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Uptown Charlotte.  Flourish is an endeavor of the Queer Arts Consortium, which is a loose confederation of Charlotte’s Gay and Lesbian Arts Community.

“We’re delighted to help showcase Charlotte’s active and growing LGBT culture and arts. We’re looking forward to welcoming Charlotte’s Gay community into the museum. We’re even waiving entry fees so that attendees of Flourish can view our regular exhibits,” said Bechtler’s Vice President for Programming and Research, Christopher Lawing.

On Saturday, Flourish will kick off with film screenings beginning at 12 p.m., while performances will start in the Bechtler lobby at 1 p.m. with music by One Voice.  Other musical performances will include Charlotte Pride Jazz Band, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte, and the Charlotte Pride Marching Band. Dance will also be an important part of these shows with Triptych Collective and Southern Country Charlotte performing. Events on Sunday do not start until 3 p.m., after the Pride Parade is over.

According to David Lari, director of Stillout, the LGBT Photography Club in Charlotte, Flourish is designed “to allow people to drop in and stay for between 15 and 45 minutes. Something different is happening every 30 minutes in the performance spaces.”  Stillout will be showing “Images of Pride” on Saturday and Sunday in the Bechtler’s Classroom Gallery. All events at Flourish are free.

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.