Freedom’s Runway returns to the Allentown Art Museum in 2026 as a celebration of liberation, resilience, and self-expression timed to coincide with Juneteenth and LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Inspired by the legacy of underground ballroom culture, Runway participants are invited to create wearable works of art that honor personal narratives while engaging with the Museum’s collection. This year’s celebration has been expanded beyond the community runway show planned for Thursday, June 18, to include two garment-making workshops leading up to the main event.
The first workshop was held at the Museum on
Saturday, May 23, when Freedom’s Runway organizer Daniel Djuro-Goiricelaya worked with artists of all ages and abilities to create T-shirts and hats expressing their own fashion sense.
The second free workshop will be held on Saturday, June 13, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Everyone’s invited to drop in and transform their ideas into wearable sculptures in preparation for Freedom’s Runway.
Freedom’s Runway will culminate on Thursday, June 18, with a series of activities open to all:
4-6:30 p.m.: Last garment-making workshop with Daniel Djuro-Goiricelaya in the Museum’s Community Gallery
5:30-6 p.m.: Queer Look at Art Tour
6:45-8 p.m.: Runway Show with performances by Queer Quoir and Martyr
This year’s Runway Show will feature three creative categories inspired by artworks currently on view in the Museum. BioluME, inspired by the work Freedom Only Known to Them in Whispers and Tales (2022) by Alteronce Gumby, explores illumination, transformation, cosmic color, and radiant selfhood. Warm and Fuzzy, inspired by the work Sistah Paradise and the Egungun (1999) by Xenobia Bailey (at right, behind Daniel), invites participants to embrace softness, texture, intimacy, and comfort as acts of resistance and care. Draw Paper Scissors, inspired by the work of Keith Haring, celebrates bold linework, movement, playfulness, and community activism. Watch a video HERE to learn more about the workshops, the categories, and the art.
In addition to the runway presentation, the evening will once again feature the powerful Queer Choir led by Khalid Taylor, bringing collective voices together through music and celebration. This year’s event will also welcome New York–based artists Florencia Alvarado and Martyr, participating as part of their residency at La Casita de Bambú.
A distinguished panel of judges representing institutions and organizations across the arts community will support the celebration, including Stacie Brennan from Lehigh University Art Galleries, Jess Ambler from the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, and Rep. Ana Tiburcio.
Freedom’s Runway is more than a fashion event—it is a living celebration of collective liberation, artistic experimentation, chosen family, and the transformative power of art to create spaces where all people can be seen, celebrated, and free.
