Reception: Over Yonder: Queer Rural Utopias

Event Details

The Hite Institute of Art + Design is excited to announce our next exhibition,

Over Yonder: Queer Rural Utopias, coming to the Cressman Center July 10 - August 29, 2026.

Placing Appalachia center stage, Over Yonder: Queer Rural Utopias brings together contemporary artists and poets, alongside archival ephemera from the Faulkner-Morgan Archive, who lean into the inherent queerness of rural spaces. A multi-media show, this exhibition highlights moments of queer potentiality past and present, exploring the ways queer folks are finding joy in spaces commonly seen through a one-sided view of hostility. From handwritten poems and 1990’s archival photography, to abstract pastel drawings and quilted wall hangings, the work presented in Over Yonder gives viewers glimpses of personal utopias found in small towns and hollers, showing that the grass is not always greener on the other side, but instead can be found in one’s own backyard.

We hope you will join us for the opening reception of Over Yonder: Queer Rural Utopias on Friday July 10, from 5-7 p.m. at the Cressman Center. This event is free and open to the public, and snacks will be provided.