Red Butte Garden hosts its inaugural event to honor Pride Month

Salt Lake City, Utah – Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City held a brand-new, family-friendly event on Friday called “Blooming with Pride” in honor of this year’s Pride Month.

Free health and wellness seminars, a discussion forum with local organizations regarding services for the LGBTQ+ community, and flower art displays were all included in the one-day event.

“It feels really cool to be here, and actually be in the moment,” explained Mal Strunk of Utah.

Mal was chosen as one of the seven artists for the “Blooming with Pride” floral exhibit. Mal interprets her artwork, “Deserted Despair to Blooming Pride,” as a representation of her own coming-out journey.

She claims that the exterior of the building is made up of tumbleweeds and dried trees and “represents kind of how I felt like I was keeping people at a distance, and wasn’t able to be my true self.”

Rainbow-colored fresh flowers adorn the interior in the meantime. That, according to her, symbolizes her capacity to accept her actual sexuality and identity.
Another native of Utah, Corey Kimzey, was offered the chance to work as a floral exhibit artist. He notes that this is very different from his full-time job as a data scientist for a health insurance firm.

“It’s fun to do something a little more creative or artistic,” Corey remarks. “As a member of the LGBTQ community, I always appreciate when different groups allow us to show our art.”

Corey sees “Queerness Gives Life,” his art work, as a “love letter” to his neighborhood. He continues by saying that he wants everyone in his community to know how much he values everything they have done for him.

Even though Corey and Mal had been working on their art pieces for months, the public could only view them on Friday from 12 to 8 p.m. before they were to be permanently removed.

“One of the most beautiful lessons that flowers have taught me is you have to be present,” Mal says. “This is only up for eight hours, so if people aren’t able to slow down and try to make time and come and show up, they’ll miss it.”