Wonder Arts are delighted to present; ‘Be Your Own Cup of Tea’; a piece of artwork designed and created by young people from the LGBTQIA+ community in St Helens.

The Charity, based in St Helens, have been working with the wonderful Artist, Michelle Wren and the Over the Rainbow group to create this stunning structure which was unveiled at St Helens Pride.

The title, ‘Be Your Own Cup of Tea’ comes from the idea that everybody drinks their tea differently. Some add sugar. some like no milk and some don’t like tea at all, instead opting for coffee; something that the group feel is reflective of identity and sexuality, implying you can just be your own cup of tea rather than conforming to a category.

Each section of the artwork is inspired by stories told by the group members through workshop sessions, with symbols representing obstacles they have overcome during the exploration of their personal sexuality and gender identity.

The artwork takes the form of a disjointed rainbow which emerges from a multi-coloured chessboard. The group felt strongly that the rainbow symbol had lost its identity within the LGBTQIA+ community, inspiring them to re-imagine the rainbow in this way. This rainbow is made up of coloured boxes, arranged to represent flags associated with the community while the chess board represents the continuous battle between the LGBTQIA+ community and society.

‘Be Your Own Cup of Tea’ highlights some of the many issues that young people from the LGBTQIA+ community face, while offering a space for you to celebrate the power of being yourself.

This project took place as part of our Communities of Wonder programme, funded by National Lottery Community Fund and made possible by National Lottery Players.

Find out more about Wonder Arts and the wonderful work they do at their website.