Art Front Galleries

“Really any art spaces to me are queer friendly. I mean not every art space. But for example, I just showed in Art Front Galleries on Broadway. They’re a wonderful, wonderful gallery” (Marina Carreria 14) Art Front Galleries is a non-profit corporation that promotes temporary art galleries that educate about urban environments. 

Art Front Galleries started in 2013 as a loose coalition of artists in Newark. In 2016, they became officially incorporated as a nonprofit corporation. On their website, they claim that their mission statement can be summarized in five words: begin, give, educate, provide, and demonstrate. They, as an organization, want to begin to revive blighted businesses, give underserved communities access to art, educate young adults about the business of art, provide new venues for art, and demonstrate a repeatable process. 

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Art Front Galleries is currently not holding in person exhibits. However, Art Front Galleries does have a number of virtual exhibits on their website. Those exhibits include: curiosity + optimism, Neutral Nation, the five elements, Folsom St.Parade, Heliotrope, Dream Reflections, Quarantine With Helicopters, Ansiedad Enmascarada, Dracula, O’Rourke/Dingman Collection. You can visit their exhibits at:

On May 2nd, 2019, ArtFront Galleries held an LGBTQ art gallery called Out Loud from the hours of 6pm to 9pm. The main theme of the event was LGBTQ Identities in Urban America. According to Marina Carreria, the event attracted a very good turnout, particularly amongst young queer men of color.It was the first time for many of these men interacting with art in a formal art gallery setting. The positive buzz about Out Loud inspired its curator, Rafael Cuello, to make a series of shows over the course of 2019. Since Out Loud, many of ArtFront Galleries’ events have become safe havens for LGBTQ youth in Newark.

We choose the Art Front Galleries to represent Newark’s rich history of queer art because of its monumental impact on the LGBTQ community. Art spaces are unique from all of the other places that we have included on this map because art is not exclusively a queer medium of expression. There certainly have been many artists throughout history that have had nothing to do with the LGBTQ community. For this reason, many members of the LGBTQ community do not realize that art galleries can potentially be queer friendly spaces. The Art Front Galleries are important because some of their shows helped introduce many members of the LGBTQ community to art. Shows such as Out Loud helped open up a whole new world of new queer friendly spaces to those who attended them.

Out loud opening reception, Art Front Galleries. Accessed May 12th 2021. https://artfrontgalleries.com/events/out-loud-opening-reception/.

About, Art Front Galleries. Accessed May 12th 2021. https://artfrontgalleries.com/about/.

Cuello, Rafael. About, R. Cuello Designs. Accessed May 12th 2021. https://www.rcuello.com/about.

Berke, Cora. Rafael Cuello finds his passion by helping other artists, March 14th 2019. Accessed May 12th 2021. https://outinjersey.net/rafael-cuello-finds-his-passion-by-helping-other-artists/.

Marina Carreira, Queer Newark Oral History Project. Accessed May 12th 2021. https://queer.newark.rutgers.edu/interviews/marina-carreira.