Heroes in Art

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Some fight. Some rescue. Some impact. All inspire.

BY JOSEPH PASTRANA

Heroes In Art

Nestled in the upper reaches of Massachusetts is the artist colony of Provincetown, a haven for the LGBTQ+ community and one of the few genuine outposts of gay art. Today it is home to the Greg Salvatori Gallery, one of over forty local galleries and a major regional art museum. And, where Greg is proud to showcase artists of distinct visions that in one way or another celebrate heroes of the community. One such artist is Jo Hay who’s been painting portraits of some of the most iconic heroes of our time.

Jo and Greg are both British transplants to the Cape by way of New York City. But it was more their individual creativity that landed them both in Provincetown where they continue to highlight causes that mean something to them and the community at large. Jo had been consistently receiving raves for her portraits including once called “Dodger”, which was a finalist in “Art for Freedom:

A Global Initiative” curated by Madonna. She’s also been the subject of British director Lois Norman’s documentary “She is Juiced”, which was screened at Tate Modern in 2017 as part of the ground-breaking Queer Britain exhibition and the London Pride launch that same year.

Meanwhile, Greg was already an established New York City photographer and artist in 2014 when he decided to open his gallery among a cluster of other small businesses in Whaler’s Wharf in Provincetown. But after another gallery down the street closed, Greg decided to take over the space on 366 Commercial Street with its prime corner location. Its more expansive walls and square footage allowed him to showcase more artists and their work. Upon discovering Jo’s work, he enthusiastically showed her portrait series of the men and women who, in one way or another, helped shape the community. But perhaps even more importantly, these portraits show that the most heroic thing we can all do is simply support each other.