Tom of Finland Foundation hosts annual arts festival in L.A.

LGBTQ art is being celebrated once again this year in Los Angeles! 

According to The Advocate, the Tom of Finland Foundation (ToFF) will be presenting the 26th Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival — Tom of Finland 101: RAW Anatomy. 

Tom of Finland 101: RAW Anatomy is a yearly programmatic effort to bring together artists and patrons from all over the globe in a social environment, so that they can network as well as buy and sell works. The festival will be hosted at Second Home, and is the first in-person festival that ToFF has hosted in two years. Second Home is an indoor/outdoor space offering a large garden campus, where art installations, performances, and presentations happen in select “pods” and courtyards. 

Durk Dehner, ToFF’s President and Co-Founder, recognized that this year’s event is even bigger than the last one, stating: “With the highest attendance to date, the 2020 Festival was hosted on a custom website with streaming panels, performances, and exclusive events. We are thrilled to expand further this year with COVID-conscious experiences available for attendees.”

Vice President and Curator S.R. Sharp stated, “Tom of Finland would have been one hundred and one this year, so 2021’s educational theme is Tom of Finland 1-0-1. For this particular ‘course,’ RAW Anatomy, the artists are our instructors.” 

The Festival will be open to the public Saturday, December 4 and Sunday, December 5, from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm, at Second Home, located at 1370 North Saint Andrews Place in Los Angeles (Hollywood), California. Tickets are available here.

In addition to the in-person Festival, ToFF will also be presenting an Online Viewing Room on their website, launching on December 4 along with the rest of the festival. 

“We wanted to offer the opportunity for global artists to participate and showcase their work,” said ToFF curator Gary Everett. The Online Viewing Room will feature a special UK section, curated by Everett and Stuart Sandford.

At this year’s event, ToFF will also present its annual awards for Lifetime Achievement to Lloyd L. Clayton, Artist Hall of Fame to Martín Sorrondeguy, and an Achievement Award to Suzanne Shifflett. Exhibitors for the event include David Kordansky Gallery, Edward Cella Art, Simon Haas, Rick Castro, and Rubén Esparza Projects.

A fundraising dinner will also be hosted at Second Home for Tom of Finland Foundation on Friday, December 3. Tickets are available here. 

For more information, visit tomoffinland.org.

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