Coral Isles Church recently unveiled a new art exhibit called “Where Love Lets You In.” The art piece, made from pickets from artist Amy Collier’s white picket fence, is meant as a display of the church’s acceptance of all members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“We want people to know that they are accepted here,” said Collier, who created the piece. It is modeled after the section of picket fence that she painted in front of her house after the government painted over the rainbow crosswalk in Key West. “I was so saddened by the fact that they covered over this symbol of healing and hope for the queer community,” she said. “That’s why I went out the next day and got some spray paint. I saw on Facebook the fences in Key West that they were painting rainbow, so I thought, ‘Why not in my neighborhood too?’”
Barbara Overton, a member of the church council, approached Collier with the idea of creating a rainbow picket fence art piece to be displayed as an open show of the church’s commitment and covenant to being an open and affirming church.
“We really feel that it is important to show our support toward members of those most vulnerable communities,” Overton said. “We want to extend the love of Jesus to those people who might be struggling and are most in need.”
The other artistic statement this piece makes is the fact that the pickets come from Collier’s own fence.
“I had agreed to make this art piece,” she said, “and I noticed that same day that pickets were falling off my fence and lying on the ground, which looked unsightly.”
Collier said she felt like God was supplying her with the materials to make the art piece, so she took full advantage.
“I just picked up the pieces that had fallen down or were loose, cleaned them up, found the bottles of spray paint I’d used before and set to work,” she said. “I got to thinking about how this is a symbol of my belief that those of us who are more fortunate should share our resources with those who are not as well off. The wood on my pickets was starting to rot anyway, so it was really no sacrifice to use them for the art piece for the church. But that’s basically the statement I wanted to make with this.”
Two signs on the piece, one saying “You Are Loved” and the other displaying suicide prevention hotlines, were the idea of Collier’s daughter Claire, who is a visual artist. This illustrates their belief that visible signs of support for the LGBTQIA+ community can help save lives.
Coral Isles Church will hold a Pride service on June 21 at 10 a.m. to celebrate its
commitment to welcoming members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The church will
review its open and affirming covenant in the hopes of dispelling the myth that religion
and queerness can’t coexist. While many other religious spaces seek to cast out and
marginalize LGBTQIA+ people of faith, Coral Isles Church welcomes people of all
sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions into full church life and
ministry.
Coral Isles Church holds worship services every Sunday at 10 a.m., followed by lunch. All are welcome, including pets.
