Since Feb. 21, students passing through the Julio Fine Arts Gallery on campus basked in the bold colors of “We’re All Stories,” an exhibit created by Professor Mary Beth Akre in collaboration with members of the LGBTQ+ community on campus.
Inspired by her first attendance to a Transgender Day of Remembrance commemoration on campus, Akre’s exhibit honored fallen transgender persons by giving them a traditional Roman funerary shroud and portrait. Professor Akre described her rationale for the project.
“Only the rich and powerful got their portraits done, and I wanted to show that these folks that were killed were rich people. Rich in community, rich in love, rich in understanding who they were, and brave and powerful for wanting to live their life,” Akre said.
Among the portraits were faces like Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old non-binary high schooler who committed suicide in 2024 following harsh bullying from classmates. “We’re All Stories” represented tragedies like these to fuel advocacy in the current day. The second component of the exhibition, a video compilation by Jujuan Lawson, shared voices both from the personal experience of transgender Americans as well as professional voices, like Judith Butler. Aiden Olsen ‘28, was pleasantly surprised by the story in particular.
“I walked past this one too many times and I’m glad to have made the visit, because this was really special. It’s exhibits like these that inspire empathy and understanding,” Olsen said.
The third and final component of the exhibit were a series of banners draped against the back wall of the gallery room. These banners, which themselves resembled the rainbow patterning of a pride flag, featured stitched pieces of fabric over which many members of the LGBTQ+ community wrote messages of encouragement, shared firsthand experiences, and quoted other famous figures in LGBTQ+ history, such as Marsha P. Johnson and Harvey Milk.
However, not all of the thoughtfulness and care in Akre’s works were immediately visible. In fact, some of the most heartfelt choices are initially invisible, according to gallery director, Megan Rook-Koepsel.
“One of the things that was really important to her is that the wall text be hung much lower than we usually do, and that the pieces that are on the floor were raised up to a particular height, and the stories on the banners were placed at a particular height so that visitors in wheelchairs would be able to view them comfortably,” Rook-Koepsel said.
As a collaboration, “We’re All Stories” was a body of work that united several clubs together. Professor Akre worked with Rook-Koepsel and the Julio Fine Arts Gallery staff, Pat Cassidy and LGBTQ+ Student Services, and the clubs LGBTQ+ Experience and Spectrum. While the year-long sabbatical project wasn’t done with recent tensions in mind, Akre said she finds it to be an unexpected coincidence.
“It’s a very timely thing right now to show our Loyola community right now that we support them. Especially after what’s been going on in the legislatures of many states, the hate is rising again. The show couldn’t have been more timely in terms of letting members and allies of the community know how strong they are, and how supported they are,” Akre said.
The exhibition ran from Feb. 21 until April 3. For more details on future exhibits, visit The Bridge. Additional details and gallery information can also be found on the Julio Fine Arts Gallery website.
