Fullerton’s annual Pride event is something the Orange County LGBTQ+ community looks forward to, but the special day has expenses that need to be covered. That’s a challenge that Fullerton resident and business owner Tim Johnson readily takes on. 

Johnson organized an exhibit with a challenge of his own to local artists: Take a bare, 6×6 plywood block and make a work of art out of it that could be auctioned off at the event, Love Blocks Out Hate, held Friday, May 2, 2025, and coinciding with Art Walk night at the Fullerton Museum. 

Johnson, Ali Rito, and Donna Bedard organized the over 100 artists, volunteers, and local businesses that participated. Much of the work originated at Katherine England’s Art Studio in Fullerton. 

Attendees cycled through the museum’s Wilshire Room to bid on the art through a silent auction process starting at $100. Live entertainment was provided on the museum’s patio. Proceeds go to fund the 4th Annual Be You “Stronger Together” Pride Fest at the downtown Fullerton Plaza on June 7th.

“I wanted to create something that calls to me,” said artist Jennifer Hobart. “I love things that are on the dark side, spooky looking.” She made a cat’s skull the center of her piece, along with decorations for the wooden block. The title of the work is Gothic Cat Lover. 

Young artist M. Ramirez read a story that featured a fog horn used to warn other ships when visibility is impaired. That inspired her piece, which used acrylic paint to depict a lighthouse that would guide mariners in the waning light of day. 

One of the most poignant pieces came from artist Monica Weber Shoukair. Her piece depicts the Altadena Eaton fire. “My son’s and his fiancee’s house burned to the ground, and from this tragedy, I picked up random materials that were left in the aftermath,” said Shoukair. She used a burned bicycle wire, melted glass, and other random objects from the fire to complete her piece.

“This is an opportunity to support a community that needs it,” said Johnson. The American Civil Liberties Union reports that it is tracking 575 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the U.S., including a California senate bill requiring secure prison facilities isolating trans-gender women to protect biological women. 

There have been more anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state houses this year than in each of the previous five years, with the increase in bills that strip away dozens of legal protections and rights for LGBTQ+ people, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Passing state laws could be a trend in weaponizing the government to attack the community, 

Artist Jennifer Hobart is ready to push back. “We need to embrace all of the world’s human beings. Love is love. Whatever I can do to support the community, I am happy to help.”

Attendees were also happy to support the Fullerton Museum, calling it a community staple and a valuable resource. Tim Johnson thanked the museum for opening its space and creating a venue for the artwork display. “Every piece is unique, and we have 88 pieces in the show,” he said. Before the night was over, 83 had been sold.