SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — A John Brown University student is using art to express his ideas in a religion that hasn't always accepted him.
On Friday, senior graphic design and art illustration major Nick Cox opened his exhibit, "God, Why Am I Like This?" The JBU student said he'd been working on the gallery for two years sharing his "experience growing up in the church while being queer, and the complicated inner relationship that comes from trying to find a balance of both, seemingly conflicting, aspects."
"I was actually a kinesiology major for a grand total of two days. I went to my first class on the first day, and I was just like, 'This is just not for me,'" Cox said. "I've always really loved art, and so I gave that a try, and that's what I've been ever since."
Cox initially wasn't pursuing art as a major, but he grabbed the paintbrush long before college. In fact, his first lesson came earlier in life with his mom.
"She definitely is a big appreciator of the arts, and so she would give me a lot of art lessons when I was a kid," Cox said. "I just kind of always considered to be a part of me, and something I always had growing up."
Cox used oil paintings, rugs, and other media to share his story of being a member of both the LGBTQ+ and Christian communities.
"I feel like a lot of people have this idea of, like, you could either be one or the other, and I just really want to be understood, and I hope that people can take my story and apply it to other people who are like me," Cox said.
Cox wants visitors to his exhibit to join the conversation and express their own ideas as well.
"I want people of all views and backgrounds to be able to feel welcomed because I think what's most important and what's most missing from the modern world is conversation and discussion, and that leads to understanding," Cox said. "I feel like we are missing out on the importance of diversity and different thinking."
Cox said it hasn't always been easy, but he's thankful for his professors, friends, and family who have supported him along the way.
Cox invites everyone to view his work at JBU's Windgate Art Gallery until Nov. 17.
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