Celebrating SouthCoast Pride
Being Seen is a celebration of the quiet power of local activism and the ways in which art helps communities tell their truths, uplift each other, and make space for change. At its heart, this exhibition centers the SouthCoast LGBTQIA+ community — its artists, advocates, and everyday heroes — who have used creativity as both shield and spotlight. It honors those whose small acts of courage made big waves, those who preserved stories that might have gone untold, and those who continue to use art to resist, to connect, and to be seen.
One of those individuals is David B. Boyce (1949–2014), a writer, curator, and art historian whose work bridged New Bedford and New York’s Greenwich Village. His story is one of cultural connection and artistic activism — from writing for Artscope, The Gay & Lesbian Review, and The Standard-Times, to curating exhibitions and modeling for George Segal’s Gay Liberation Monument. His life reminds us how one person, rooted in place, can create ripples of national impact. Alongside Boyce, we lift up the stories of local trailblazers — artists, organizers, and community leaders — whose work helped carve out space for others to live more openly and authentically here in the SouthCoast.
The exhibition also looks to the present. A monumental, community- sewn textile project — created by over 100 residents from Fall River to Wareham — stands as a testament to collective creativity and evolving queer identity. Crafted by many hands, it reflects the joy, resilience, and radical potential of a community that continues to rise.
Being Seen is a call to remember that art is not a luxury; it’s a tool for change. It builds bridges, bears witness, and helps us imagine more inclusive futures — one thread, one story, one act of allyship at a time.
Photo: Kevin Thai/Three Circles Studio. Image courtesy of massculturalcouncil.org
Introduction by: Michael J. Bobbitt, former Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council
“As a gay man who has spent my life working in the arts, I know firsthand how vital visibility is—and how transformative it can be when your story is reflected in public space, policy, or creative expression. Growing up, I rarely saw myself represented in history books or cultural institutions. That’s why this exhibition feels both urgent and personal. It’s not just about being seen—it’s about being valued, protected, and empowered. At Mass Cultural Council, we believe that culture is a public good—and that
includes queer culture. Through our investments and partnerships across Massachusetts, we are working to ensure that everyone sees themselves reflected in the creative life of their community. Because when people are seen, they feel safe, they thrive, and they lead.”
Michael J. Bobbit, President & CEO, OPERA America, former Executive Director, Massachusetts Cultural Council
Catalysts of Change
Cynthia Cummings
Cynthia Cummings, retired Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UMass Dartmouth, has been a steadfast advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and student equity. During her tenure, she co-chaired the university’s Diversity Council, focusing on enhancing campus climate, curriculum, and faculty recruitment to foster inclusivity. She also oversaw the Center for Women, Gender & Sexuality, supporting LGBTQIA+ students and initiatives. Beyond campus, Cummings contributed to the South Coast LGBTQ+ Network’s corporate development committee, helping to raise $2 million for the renovation of a New Bedford building that will become a regional LGBTQ+ community center. Also, she served on Southcoast Health’s Patient Advisory Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Cummings is the President of the Women’s Fund SouthCoast’s Board of Directors. Her lifelong commitment to social justice and inclusion has left a lasting impact on both the university and the broader community.
Bev Baccelli and Liz DiCarlo
Bev Baccelli and Liz DiCarlo, longtime partners from Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, have been pillars of LGBTQIA+ advocacy on the South Coast. Together with Andy Pollock, they co-founded the Marriage Equality Coalition and organized community responses to pivotal events, including the 2006 Puzzles Lounge attack in New Bedford. Their activism extends to championing end-of-life rights, advocating for Death with Dignity legislation to ensure compassionate choices for terminally ill individuals. Through decades of public service, caregiving, and storytelling, Liz and Bev have fostered greater visibility, equity, and dignity for LGBTQIA+ folks across generations.
Mandy Fraser
Mandy Fraser is a local artist and community advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility in the arts. She is Co-founder of the Queer Arts Council of New Bedford and as a part of the AHA! New Bedford team, she produces the AHA! Pride Block Party, curating inclusive public programming that celebrates queer identity. She also coordinates visual arts for 3rdEyE Youth Empowerment, fostering creative expression and safe spaces for young artists. Through bringing together artists, activists, and organizations, Mandy is central to uplifting queer voices in the SouthCoast and building community through the arts.
Seth Chitwood
Seth Chitwood is a New Bedford-based journalist, filmmaker, and LGBTQIA+ advocate. As Special Projects Reporter at The Standard-Times, he covers arts, culture, and queer stories across the SouthCoast. Through his production company, Angelwood Pictures, Chitwood has created numerous independent films and web series that center LGBTQIA+ coming-of- age narratives, including the award-winning short film OUT. He also serves as director of the New Bedford Film Festival, fostering inclusive storytelling and supporting emerging queer voices in film.
Crystal Diamonds
Crystal Diamonds, founder of the Queens of the South Coast, has been a transformative leader in the region’s queer community since launching the drag production group in 2015. Under her direction, the Queens have performed across New England and beyond, elevating visibility for LGBTQIA+ voices through vibrant, empowering drag shows. Crystal has also run free workshops for aspiring drag artists, offering mentorship in music, makeup, and performance in a supportive environment. In partnership with groups like the South Coast LGBTQ+ Network and SouthCoast Equality, and through events like the Halloween Drag Fundraiser with the Lenny Zakim Fund, Diamonds champions queer joy, self-expression, and daily Pride.
Andy Pollock
Andy Pollock, President of the South Coast LGBTQ+ Network, has been a steadfast advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, visibility, and safety in New Bedford and the broader South Coast. As a founding co-chair of the Marriage Equality Coalition (2003–2007), he contributed significantly to Massachusetts becoming the first state to secure equal marriage rights. In the wake of the 2006 hate-crime attack at Puzzles Lounge, Andy organized community vigils and advocacy efforts that turned tragedy into a moment of solidarity and healing.
He continues to elevate awareness of HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ health through annual World AIDS Day conferences, while spearheading programming to support LGBTQ+ youth, transgender individuals, and older adults. Andy continues to focus on meeting new challenges by building community safety, amplifying visibility, and making sure LGBTQ+ voices are heard. Through decades of leadership, he has advanced equality while fostering a resilient, intergenerational community of strength and connection.
Traci Welch
Traci Welch is a prominent LGBTQIA+ advocate in Massachusetts, serving as the former and longtime Secretary and Events Committee Chairperson for the South Coast LGBTQ+ Network. In this role, she was instrumental in organizing inclusive events such as South Coast Pride and the Transgender Day of Remembrance, fostering visibility and solidarity within the community. Welch was on the steering committee that founded the South Coast LGBTQ+ Network and served as an adult advisor for LGBTQ+ individuals ages 14-24, furthering her commitment to supporting young queer individuals. Welch also produced and co-hosted “The LGBTQ Voice,” a local talk show that addressed issues pertinent to queer communities, further amplifying diverse voices and stories. Her commitment to advocacy and community engagement has significantly advanced LGBTQIA+ rights and awareness across the South Coast region. Her advocacy continues as an events coordinator and consultant, promoting visibility and inclusion across the South Coast.
Marriage Equality Coalition
In 2004, Massachusetts passed the landmark Marriage Equality Act, becoming the first state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage. In New Bedford, a local coalition – co-chaired by Liz DiCarlo and Andy Pollock – played a pivotal role in mobilizing community support and advocating relentlessly for its implementation. Their efforts were formally recognized by state legislators in 2019, with commendations honoring their “tireless commitment and dedication to marriage equality.” Thanks to their leadership and vision, Liz and Andy helped pave the way for equality in Massachusetts — and set a powerful example for the rest of the country.
Paul Clayton
Paul Clayton (1931–1967), known as the “Songman of New Bedford,” was a pioneering folksinger, folklorist, and radio host whose early fascination with sea shanties and ballads shaped the mid-century folk revival. Raised amid the maritime rhythms of his whaling-town hometown, he began hosting folk music programs on local radio while still in high school, bringing traditional songs from New Bedford’s whaling heritage to listeners across the South Coast.
Clayton went on to record extensively—becoming the most-recorded young folksinger in America during the late 1950s—and mentored emerging icons of the Greenwich Village folk scene, including Bob Dylan and Dave Van Ronk. As a gay man living in a time of deep stigma, Clayton’s life reflected both the creative vibrancy and the personal challenges of being queer in mid-20th century America. Though his life ended tragically in 1967, his legacy endures as a brilliant, if underrecognized, conduit between New Bedford’s musical past, the folk revival movement, and LGBTQ+ cultural history.
Dr. Juli Parker
Juli L. Parker, Ph.D., is a higher education leader, educator, and advocate whose career spans more than 30 years of advancing equity, inclusion, and creative expression. As Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the Center for Women, Gender & Sexuality at UMass Dartmouth, she has championed programs that expand LGBTQ+ and gender equity, foster belonging, and uplift student voices.
A passionate advocate for feminist and LGBTQ+ communities, Juli has helped shape both campus and regional conversations around justice and representation. She co-founded the Bristol County Commission on the Status of Women, has chaired national women’s studies and women’s center committees, and continues to serve on local boards dedicated to empowerment and access. Also a published scholar and theatre artist, Juli explores how performance and storytelling can inspire social change. Her leadership has been recognized with awards from the YWCA of Southeastern MA, the National Women’s Studies Association, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts—reflecting a lifelong commitment to creating spaces where people feel seen, supported, and free to express who they are.
The Public Universal Friend
The Public Universal Friend (1752 – 1819), born Jemima Wilkinson in Rhode Island, is recognized today as an early American figure who transcended gender expectations. After a life‑threatening illness, the Friend claimed to be reborn as a genderless evangelist, discarded their birth name and pronouns, and preached across New England and upstate New York in androgynous attire. They founded the Society of Universal Friends, the first American religious community led by someone presenting outside the male/female binary, promoting free will, sexual abstinence, and abolitionism. Modern historians and others celebrate the Friend as a pioneering transgender or non‑binary figure, whose life challenged 18th‑century gender norms and inspired conversations about identity and inclusion well ahead of their time.
David Bartlett Boyce
Born in New Bedford, David Bartlett Boyce (1949 – 2014) was a writer, curator, and vital figure in queer art history. A key player in the post-Stonewall Gay Liberation movement, Boyce modeled for George Segal’s Gay Liberation monument — the first piece of public art at a national monument dedicated to LGBTQIA+ rights. Deeply embedded in the 1970s New York art scene, he worked alongside iconic artists like Jasper Johns, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Joseph Cornell, and played a pivotal role in introducing Mapplethorpe to influential gallerist Holly Solomon.
Boyce was not only a behind-the-scenes force in shaping the careers of major queer artists, but also a powerful storyteller who chronicled the cultural moment through criticism, curation, and advocacy. In the late 1990s, he earned a master’s degree in Creative Writing and Gay Studies from Goddard College, further deepening his commitment to queer narratives. After returning to New Bedford, he served as a senior arts correspondent for the Standard Times and a curator at the New Bedford Art Museum. His legacy endures as a connector, creative force, and advocate for LGBTQIA+ visibility, ensuring that New Bedford holds a proud place in queer art history.
Helen Ellis & Imogene Weeks
Helen Elizabeth Ellis (1889–1978) and Imogene Weeks (1872–1960) were pioneering cultural figures in New Bedford and Westport, Massachusetts, whose long-term personal and professional partnership helped shape the region’s arts and literary scene. In 1928, they co-founded The Whaler Book Shop on School Street in New Bedford, which featured a circulating library and operated out of their shared home. That same year, they launched the “Whaler on Wheels,” a traveling bookstore in a modified Chevrolet coupe — one of the first mobile bookstores in the U.S. While historical records don’t define the nature of their relationship, their decades of cohabitation and collaboration suggest a deep bond. Today, Ellis is recognized as one of New Bedford’s historic queer figures, and their partnership stands as a meaningful part of local LGBTQIA+ history.
Dr. Marie Equi
Dr. Marie Equi (1872-1952), born to Irish and Italian immigrant parents in New Bedford, MA, rose from the textile mills to become one of Oregon’s first women physicians and a fierce advocate for justice. Her early life in a working-class, immigrant family shaped a lifelong commitment to labor rights, reproductive freedom, and anti-war activism. As a bold and unapologetic queer woman, Equi openly loved other women and raised a daughter with her longtime partner — defying the norms of her era. Today, she stands as a trailblazing figure in both queer history and the fight for social equity.
Ancillary Exhibit
Answering Our Ancestors
Answering Our Ancestors invites artists and members of the community to submit work and queer ephemera that honors the joy, hopes, struggles, lives, and stories of the LGBTQIA+ community on the South Coast. How do we honor the queer ancestors who came before us to pave our path? When the world turns toward darkness, how do we let our joy shine?
Participating artists to date:
Beatrice Alder, Elaine Alder, Mic Bean, Leah Bennett, Christy J. H. Belisle, Eleonora Bianchi, John Borowicz, Ron Costa, Ariel Costa-Medeiros, Iria DeValles-Vieira, Chris Diani, Melanie Ducharme, Manuel Estrela, Maggie Felisberto, Nina Frank, Kate Frazer Rego, Judith Klein, Tammi J. Meehan, Andy Pollock, Gil Rapoza, Tessa Remy-Miller, Julz Roth, Aneshia Savino, Niko Tarini, Herby Thompson, Kate Will, Stonewall National Monument, The New Bedford Light
Curated by Kate Frazer Rego in collaboration with Gallery X