Looking Back on our 1st Annual Juried Art Exhibition: An Interview with Thom Duffy
by Natalie Manes
In honor of our 20th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Arts Committee member Natalie Manes had an interview with Thom Duffy, one of the organizers of our First Annual Juried Art Exhibition in 2006. The conversation centered around the impact of the First Annual Juried Art Exhibition and the role that art plays in building and sustaining LGBTQ+ community spaces like the William Way LGBT Community Center.
Thom Duffy is an artist, arts administrator, curator, and art collector based in Philadelphia, whose career spans over 30 years. He is a studio-trained figurative artist who explores realistic, dream-like, and abstract imagery in various mediums, including graphite, pen and ink, watercolor, and acrylics. His work has been exhibited in many regional venues, including the Wayne Art Center, Philadelphia Sketch Club, InLiquid, Da Vinci Art Alliance, as well as the William Way LGBT Community Center. Thom also has a professional background in art management and curating. He currently curates environmental and history-themed exhibitions at the Fairmount Water Works.
NM: Can you tell me about your connection to the William Way LGBT Community Center-- how did you first get involved?
TD: I’ve been an active part of the LGBTQ community dating back to the early 1990s, when the William Way was called Penguin Place, and was located on Camac Street behind the 12th Street Gym. I was one of the first members to join the Spartan Wrestling Club, which was established in 1991 by John Necci, Dennis Spillman and Rick Van Tassell, and met at the Center once a week.
As a Spartan Wrestling Club member, I trained for the 1994 Gay Games in NYC. During that time, I volunteered as Event and Fundraising Coordinator for Team Philadelphia under the direction of co-chairs Gigi Nikpour and Rick Van Tassell. We invited four photographers to photograph various Team Philadelphia sports teams, clubs, and athletes, and produced an 18-month calendar leading up to the Gay Games in 1994. The black and white photographs were selected by the committee for the calendar and to be exhibited at venues including the Penguin Place Gallery and Snyderman-Works Galleries at 303 Cherry Street, which I worked at during that time.
The Spartans later would move their practice location to the William Way for several years before bouncing to 12th Street Gym, First Presbyterian Church, and now at the Marian Anderson Recreation Center.
image: The 2006 postcard from our First Annual Juried Art Exhibition, featuring artwork by Gilbert Lewis.
NM: What was the art scene at William Way (and in Philadelphia, more broadly) like when you helped organize the first juried exhibition? Were there any other spaces that were exhibiting LGBTQ+ art?
When I came out in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I needed support that I wasn’t receiving for my family. I gravitated to the art and wrestling/athletic communities, which welcomed me with open arms. Dorothy French, Brian Dennis, and Keith Breitfeller founded and organized annual exhibitions mounted at ZONE ONE and other Old City cooperative art spaces. They called their shows GALA - Gay and Lesbian Artists. I met Virgil Marti, Gabriel Martinez, and many other young artists who would grow to become prominent region and national artists.
Fast forward to 2004, I was working at the PAFA (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts), and heard the William Way LGBT Community Center was working to transform their lobby into a gallery featuring local LGBTQ+ artists’ work to welcome community members and visitors. I met with Norah Salmon (now Dixon), who was the Program Director working to form the Arts Committee. Shortly after, I became Co-Chair alongside David Perkiss. Gershon Cattan and Robert Thomas are a few committee members I can recall at the top of my head.
We carefully formed the Arts Committee’s mission statement and calendar of exhibitions (which included the first juried exhibition, subsequent winners exhibitions, and other exhibitions featuring regional LGBTQ artists). We also organized a special exhibition celebrating 30 Years of the Community Center’s serving the Philadelphia and regional communities.
NM: Looking back, what impact do you think that first juried exhibition had on the Center’s arts programming going forward? Did you imagine that this juried exhibition would go on to be the longest running annual LGBTQ+ art exhibition in the region / that it would hit a 20 year anniversary?
TD: I am delighted that the Annual Juried Art Exhibition exceeded expectations in longevity and success. The work and detailed planning that Norah, David, myself, and other committee members made it easier for the future Arts Committee to follow and assure its success and sustainability. Candice Thompson followed Norah as Program Director, and she is also responsible for maintaining the committee’s mission and annual exhibitions planning schedule during her tenure.
Open calls for artists are an excellent way of broadening the reach for prospective artists, their friends, and collectors making the promotions most impactful. The opening receptions were always well attended and received. Sales were also decent and media coverage was strong.
The jurors of the First Annual Juried Art Exhibition were the artist Bill Scott, and Anne Fabbri (1925-2024), a Museum Director and art critic who taught at Villanova and Drexel Universities. Having prominent public figures who are a fixture in the regional arts community added to its success.
NM: What role do you think art plays in building and sustaining LGBTQ+ community spaces like William Way? Why did you think it was important to have a space specifically for queer artists to exhibit and be seen?
The goal of the Arts Committee was to provide a space to invite, promote, and exhibit LGBTQ artists’ artwork. The juried exhibition was open to all levels of artists’ careers, from emerging to established artists, and at times we also featured works by artists who had passed. The subject was not required to be specifically LGBTQ-themed, but many works were personal expressions, so naturally much of the work centered on that theme.
NM: What does that first juried show mean to you personally? What do you hope William Way exhibitions continue to offer to artists and the community?
TD: The first juried show was the teamwork of staff and volunteers. It was a lot of fun to organize, mount, and promote. Receiving appreciation from all the artists whose work was selected was validating as well as heartwarming. I hope William Way will continue to maintain an art gallery space to offer LGBTQ+ artists the opportunity to share their artwork and personal stories.
image: Thom Duffy, Studio Self Portrait, graphite, watercolor, and acrylic on watercolor paper, 23x29”
To connect with Thom Duffy, you can find him on Instagram and on Facebook, and his Etsy site here: etsy.com/shop/ThomDuffyFineArtLLC
Editor’s Note: The William Way LGBT Community Center’s Art Program was one of the original programs of the Center, with our first exhibition being held when we opened in 1976. There have been many different iterations of the program since, but the current Arts Committee structure, with its annual juried and group exhibitions, began in 2006. Stay tuned for special celebrations of the Center’s 50th in 2026!
Featured in the Issue 16: November, 2025 edition of WayOut, your Philly Queer Arts Publication brought to you by the Arts Committee at the William Way LGBT Community Center. To get our monthly newsletter in your inbox, subscribe here.