From the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River, We Exist // Intercultural Microgrant Guest Blog
The following guest blog is from 2024 Intercultural Microgrant recipients Skylar Davis & Faulkner Morgan Archive, with funding from our partner Kentucky Foundation for Women. Learn more about this project at kyrux.org/microgrants/2024, and connect with the project at weexistky.com.
Explore We Exist, a documentary project preserving LGBTQ+ Kentuckians' stories by Skylar Davis for the Faulkner Morgan Archive.
"We Exist" is an heartfelt project born out of Skylar Davis' frustration with the ongoing attempts by Kentucky's legislature to pass anti-LGBTQ laws. These legislative efforts perpetuate harmful false narratives that dehumanize LGBTQ+ Kentuckians, leading to real-world consequences, as evidenced by a 19% rise in hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals in 2022, according to the FBI. As an experienced organizer and a seasoned photographer, Skylar has witnessed firsthand how personal stories can profoundly impact individuals' opinions. Inspired by this, she aims to counter the villainization of Kentucky's LGBTQ+ community by channeling her emotions into her passions for photography and storytelling through "We Exist."
"We Exist" is a series of photographs and audio recordings that provides LGBTQ+ Kentuckians with a platform to control their narratives, showcasing their humanity and the diversity within the community. The project will represent individuals from 120 counties across Kentucky, ensuring a broad and inclusive representation of LGBTQ+ voices. The final collection will be archived with the Faulkner Morgan Archive to preserve these stories for future generations.
The homepage of the We Exist website.
—Skylar Davis & Faulkner Morgan Archive
The Kentucky Intercultural Microgrant Program is a seed grant to support two or more individuals or organizations collaborating across distance, difference, or sector on projects that celebrate and connect Kentucky's people and places.
Launched with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kentucky Foundation for Women, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, Fund for the Arts, the Monument Workshop at UK, the Josh May Memorial Fund, and individual donors, the 2024 Microgrant Program invests in a series of seed grants (awards from $250-2000) to support short-term projects that foster dialogue, connection, or collaboration among Kentuckians from disparate backgrounds, identities, or experiences. Projects that involve diverse partners and invite the public to participate are preferred.