Who is ready for a queer artsy road trip this summer?! Art museums across Ohio are featuring LGBTQ-related art, both in their permanent collections and with extra special exhibits.
From modern photographs to queer quilting to the original rainbow Pride flag, check out these seven LGBTQ+ art exhibits from one end of Ohio to the other.
1. Toledo Museum of Art
What: The Toledo Museum of Art is home to Gilbert Baker’s 1978 Rainbow Flag, first debuted in the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. Hand-sewn and dyed by Baker and a group of volunteers at the Gay Community Center in San Francisco, each of the flag’s rainbow stripes represents aspects of the queer experience.
Baker explained his reasoning for this brightly colored flag further, saying, “What I liked about the rainbow is that it fits all of us. It’s all the colors. It represents all the genders. It represents all the races. It is the rainbow of humanity.”
When: Find this exhibit in the Glass Pavilion, where it’s permanently displayed.
Admission: Admission and parking are free.
2. Akron Art Museum
What: The Akron Art Museum currently has two queer exhibitions by queer artists Kent Monkman and Jess T. Dugan.
Kent Monkman’s “History is Painted by the Victors” bends the “history painting” genre – traditionally large-scale paintings of historical, mythological, or biblical subjects – to call attention to contemporary environmental issues and how government policies have impacted Indigenous communities. Additionally, Monkman depicts the intergenerational trauma of Indigenous communities as well as Two-Spirit, queer, and trans identities within Indigenous communities.
Jess T Dugan’s “I want you to know my story” uses photography and portraiture to explore kinship, community, and identity, with an emphasis on queer representation.
Outside of these exhibitions, the museum has a few works in its permanent collection galleries by LGBTQ+ artists, including famed muralist/activist Keith Haring.
When: Now until August 16th.
Admission: Adult nonmember admission: $12; Seniors 65+: $10; University of Akron Students: $8; Faculty and Staff as well as children 17 and under: Free; Adult with Ohio EBT card: $3, extends to four adults; Gallery admission is free every Thursday.
3. The Dairy Barn Arts Center
What: The Dairy Barn Arts Center currently has a few pieces from queer artists Brent Morgan and Len Loomis. Both artists use quilting as a form of colorful and emotive art to celebrate queer identities.
When: This exhibit runs from July 8th to August 30th.
Admission: General admission: $10; Youth (5-12): $5; Dairy Barn Members and children 5 and under: Free.
4. Cincinnati Art Museum
What: The museum currently features a special exhibition, “Elizabeth Hawes: Radical American Fashion,” celebrating more than 50 garments made between the 1920s and 1960s by Hawes, “a radical designer, author and social commentator whose ideas were consistently far ahead of her time.” Within that exhibit are works by LGBTQ+ fashion designer Rudi Gernreich, widely known for his distinctive avant-garde clothing design.
When: The special exhibition ends August 2nd.
Admission: Admission is free.
5. Cleveland Art Museum
What: The Cleveland Art Museum is home to LGBTQ+ artists from multiple centuries, most easily identified and accessed through their array of tours, both private (by request) and public. Daily Guided Tours, Art and Conversation Tours, or self-guided tours can all direct you to LGBTQ+ artists from all walks of life.
When: Permanent exhibitions.
Admission: Admission into the Cleveland Art Museum is free.
6. The Frank Museum of Art and Galleries at Otterbein University
What: The Frank Museum of Art and Galleries will soon feature a fall 2026 exhibition. The exhibition features Jim Bowling, a sculptor from Columbus, Ohio, and Professor of Art at Otterbein University. His work explores an array of themes, from personal to socio-political, and oftentimes seeks to express LGBTQ+ sexuality.
When: This exhibition will run from August 19th to November 4th, 2026 in the Miller Gallery.
Admission: Free admission.
7. Columbus Museum of Art
What: The Columbus Museum of Art has a “Queer/Modern” gallery filled with artists, such as Paul Cadmus and Charles Demuth, who were a part of queer culture during the early 20th century. Many paintings feature homo-erotic imagery that focuses on the human body as well as colorful yet abstract landscapes.
When: This exhibit is permanent.
Admission: Free for anyone 25 and under as well as Columbus Museum of Art members; Adults: $22; Seniors $18; Also free on Sundays.
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