How a party in Castlefield and a message on M61 led to artists taking over one of Manchester's most popular venues

A number of established and rising LGBTQ+ artists have come together for an exciting new art exhibition at one of the city centre's most popular venues.

The likes of David Hoyle, Beth Garrigan, Jez Dolan, Freya Wynice and Dr. Sarah-Joy Ford all have work featured in the latest free exhibition at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel this summer celebrating the power and beauty of queer artistry.

Created in partnership with Friends of Dorothy, the collection of artworks can be found along the walls of the Refuge bar and celebrate everything from drag kings and newspaper clippings to powerful rallies for change and messages of inspiration.

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Jen Orpin, who recently has had her work acquired by Manchester Art Gallery, said her piece named Let Love Grow, which is named after a Dolly Parton song, takes inspiration from a ‘Grow the Revolution’ slogan that was daubed on a footbridge over the M61, between the boroughs of Bolton and Salford, in 2019 and rose to prominence during the pandemic.

It’s a bit of a niche subject matter, but I have been painting motorway bridges since 2018 as a platform for protest,” Jen explains to the Manchester Evening News. “Because of the nature of Pride Month and the queer community, I wanted to feature something with the word ‘love’ in it.

“This slogan first appeared on the M61 in 2019, and it says ‘Grow the Revolution’, and the word ‘love’ is written backwards so that you can see it in your reverse mirror as you drive past.

“For me, the piece is about finding love within unlikely places, but also how people should feel free to love who they want to love. I feel lucky that I have been able to love who I