Local artist donates sapphic-inspired design for Pride Month t-shirt
ABC7's proceeds from the sale of the shirts will be donated to AIDS Walk Los Angeles.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KABC) -- Meet Melanie Posner, aka Melanie Posner, the artist for ABC7's Pride Month t-shirt.
Posner is a fine artist and muralist located in Los Angeles, California. She is known for painting vibrant photo-realistic women.
Her art can be seen all over the Los Angeles area, including a Pride mural she created for TikTok that will live indefinitely on the side of the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
ABC7 partnered with Smile South Central to identify Pulsinelle to design the shirt.
Posner believes that her collaboration with ABC7 is a social responsibility to give back to the LGBTQ+ community.
"It's important for me to make pieces that are inspiring, uplifting and also focus a lot on identity," said Posner. I think it's something that my art has kind of shaped me with to help me find myself," she said.
She also explains the inspiration for the design of the t-shirt accurately represents identity.
"I wanted it to feel inclusive. I can't help it, I love women, so I paint women," Posner explains. "I wanted it to feel dreamlike, in a sense," she said.
For Posner, designing this t-shirt meant something a little deeper than other projects she's worked on. This was about making an impact for the LGBTQ community.
"I think the community has gone through a lot in the past couple years. Sometimes an escape from reality is a little necessary. And yeah, I wanted it, you know, to feel empowering too," said Posner.
ABC7 will donate its proceeds from the sale of our Pride merchandise at abc7.com/shop to support AIDS Walk Los Angeles and APLA Health.
AIDS Walk LA returns to West Hollywood Park on Sunday, October 18.