Dear Southern Exposure Community,

At the start of this year, like so many arts organizations across the country, we found ourselves in a difficult place. The combination of financial pressures, institutional precarity, and a rapidly shifting cultural landscape pushed Southern Exposure to the edge. We weren’t sure what the future would hold.

But in our moment of need, you showed up.

Thanks to your support, our benefit auction was not only a success—it was record-breaking. The outpouring of generosity, love, and belief in what SoEx stands for reminded us all of something vital: Southern Exposure is worth fighting for. And more than that—it’s needed now more than ever.

In the months since, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to chart a course forward. We’ve taken time to listen, reflect, and reimagine what SoEx can and must be in this moment. We still have a lot of work to do, but as we resumed programming in July, the people that turned out and the enthusiasm they brought gave us confidence that we’re on the right path.

At a time when many institutions are buckling under pressure from a hostile government, SoEx offers something rare and essential: a community-rooted space that lets artists bring to life timely, experimental work that boldly engages with the most pressing issues of the day. And with your sustained support, we can continue funding and platforming these ideas independently, without compromise.

That’s why today, we’re proud to share our revised programming calendar for the coming season. It reflects our renewed commitment to maintaining Southern Exposure as a vibrant, radical hub for art and action—a place where people can gather in solidarity, in joy, in creative defiance. A place to build community, find camaraderie, and stand with resolve. We are excited for you to join us.

With gratitude,

Southern Exposure

 

August

• On View through August 30: Mission Voices Summer youth exhibition, Emerged Under Covers. See works by the participating students in this year’s Mission Voices Summer program and Transmissions Quilting Project, a trans quilting collective. Gallery hours are Wednesday - Saturday, 12:00 – 6:00 PM.

• Wednesday, 8/27: Inaugural Work-in-Progress Monthly Salon. An “open mic”-inspired casual forum to share, see, and discuss works-in-progress with fellow artists. Hosted by the SoEx Curatorial Council. Sign up here to snag a presentation slot. 6:00 - 7:30pm at SoEx, 3030 20th St.

• Thursday, 8/28: Mission Voices Summer exhibition Emerged Under Covers closing reception. 5:00–7:00 PM. Potluck and celebration of exhibition of work by SoEx Mission Voices Summer students and Transmissions Quilting Project, a trans quilting collective 

 

September

• Saturday, 9/6: Reading by Emile DeWeaver, Author of Ghost in the Criminal Justice Machine: Reform, White Supremacy, and an Abolitionist Future, 5:00–7:00 PM.

• Wednesday, 9/24: Work-in-Progress Monthly Salon

 

October

• Saturday, 10/11: Monster Drawing Rally.

• Saturday, 10/25: Love Letters to Aliens opening reception. Love Letters to Aliens is a group exhibition and performance series curated by Sholeh Asgary exploring borders, bodies, and the physical boundaries that separate us from one another. The artists of Love Letters to Aliens incorporate vastly different materials in their work to delve deeply into decolonial strategies for queer survival while being rooted in multiple locations at once, with a vulnerability and a darkly perceptive sense of the absurd. 

• Wednesday, 10/29: Work-in-Progress Monthly Salon