Join ASC As We March to Celebrate Charlotte Pride!
For the first time, ASC is a Visionary Sponsor of the Pride Festival. We need the community's help showing up in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors.
Please use this form to let us know you will march with us during the 2023 Charlotte Pride Parade on Sunday, August 20th. Walking groups (like ASC's) will meet up at the address provided at 11:30am. The parade begins at 1:00pm. ASC is #14 in line, so we will be among the earliest to complete the parade (plan for 2:00pm).
Note that space for our walking group is limited to 100 people, so please register as soon as you can using this event registration form.
Why is ASC sponsoring Pride?
ASC is proud to support both Pride and individual artists who identify as LGBTQ. Pride is also a great way to share how ASC supports the LGBTQ+ community through its grantmaking efforts.
Robert Touchstone, ASC’s vice president of philanthropy, said that major level of sponsorship “shows our solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community at a time when queer expression is being challenged.” He added, “at the same time, ASC seeks to increase awareness of our investments in the community and let queer creatives know ASC is here to support them and their work.”
What will ASC's presence look like at Charlotte Pride?
ASC is a Visionary Sponsor of the Pride Festival and is the presenting sponsor of this year's Neighborhood Market. The Neighborhood Market will be set up on Levine Avenue for the Arts on Saturday, Aug. 19 from noon-10 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 20 from noon-6 p.m. Festivalgoers can support local artists, artisans and makers – and take home some unique, handcrafted wares.
ASC will also have two booths on the main festival route. Our main booth, on South Tryon Street at Levine Ave. for the Arts, is themed “Pride is Timeless: Fashion Through Three Eras.” A photo booth will add to the fun here.
The other booth, located on Levine Ave. for the Arts beside the Mint Museum Uptown, contains an interactive, community art installation, “Acceptance and Celebration of Identity,” led by artists Elizabeth Palmisano and Jamil “Dyair” Steele. Visitors can add their own writing or drawing to the installation.