Orlando, Florida · Formed August 2026
We commission the work, and we pay the artist.
Central Florida Queer Arts Initiative expands public access to performing, visual, media and literary art across the region, and preserves LGBTQ+ cultural voices that no one else is archiving. Five programs in 2027, at venues from Ivanhoe Village to the public library.
The season
2027 at a glance
Every program →What we do
Four program pillars
Commissions and presentation
We commission, produce and present new performance, exhibition, dance, theatre, literary and media work. Artists are chosen by open call or documented curatorial review, and paid under written agreement.
40% of program activity
Education and creative-career labs
Workshops, master classes, mentorship and residencies for emerging artists and adult learners. Fees stay modest, and waivers are available to anyone who needs one.
25% of program activity
Community access and partnerships
Free and low-cost cultural programming co-designed with schools, neighborhood groups and health and human-service organizations, under written agreements that spell out what each partner owes the work.
20% of program activity
Artist professional development
Training, peer learning, technical assistance and business skills for LGBTQ+ and other historically underrepresented artists – contracts, rates, grant writing, self-production, documentation.
15% of program activity
Give
$1,000 is one commissioned artist.
That is not a rounding figure. Four artists at $1,000 each is the entire commission budget for First Light, the March showcase that puts CFQAI on a neutral stage in its first quarter.