THAT ART is an important part of our lives is a given. That our art, "gay art" is generally overlooked due to ignorance, neglect or censorship is also a given. That many great artists have created "queer" art is another given. Many of our leading institutions, historians and critics deem it somehow limiting to talk about queer content in art.

To combat this malaise we call upon all "queer" artists of whatever persuasion to come out and feel the sunshine. It can be rejunenating.

Leslie-Lohman is doing all it can to acknowledge that the queer arts are alive and well and deserve better than they have gotten up till not. Therefore we, LLGAF, have instituted a few new and exciting ways you can participate.

First, we have instituted a membership policy that will give one and all a chance to support the gay arts. We have already had a good response, not only locally but nationally and internationally, as well.

Second, our web site continues to grow and generate interest. If you are an artist with a home page and would like us to link to you, e-mail us with your web address. We also are in the process of putting up a virtual gallery — this will change about once a month. Artists will be invited to show work on our website. This work will be for sale. The arrangements are the same as in the gallery. It will be one way we can show many more artists' works than we can exhibit in the physical gallery.

Third, we have instituted a Founders' Purchase Award, which is an annual purchase award to a work of art by a contemporary artist. This is a commitment by the founders, Fritz Lohman and Charles Leslie, to be selected by them from the regular exhibitions mounted at LLGAF.

Fourth, we have been asked by Blueboy magazine to present a series of articles on artists featured by Leslie-Lohman. To date, there have been eight of these articles. We are very pleased with the results, as has been Blueboy.

Fifth, we invite artists and scholars, art historians and critics, to submit articles to this journal/newsletter, The Archive. In this way we can take The Archive a long way towards becoming the journal of the gay arts that we envision.

Sixth...we have several more surprises that will have to wait. We don't have enough time and energy to do everything we dream about, partly because our staff is so small and partly because we need greater support from outside, which means you.

LLGAF needs you as members and as volunteers — committed people on a regular basis. We have a wonderful but small core of volunteers who do an amazing amount of work. But we need more. Even if it is only a couple of hours a week if there are enough of us we can accomplish so much. So please, consider LLGAF — and you could be eligible for a free membership!