We lost a good one.

Mad (Maddox) was laughter and light, creativity and courage. He showed up fully, unapologetically, and with a kind of joy that made people feel seen just by being near him. His presence reminded us that art is not just something we make. It is something we live.

In his home in the Village of the Arts, Mad created space. Space for imagination, for experimentation, for connection. A studio not just for art, but for people. A place where creativity stayed alive because he believed it mattered and because he believed we mattered.

To honor Maddox’s legacy, we are naming the gallery at our LGBTQ+ Center The Maddox Gallery and establishing a fund in his name to support trans, queer, and disabled artists. This fund is a commitment to carry forward what Maddox embodied every day: showing up for one another, listening deeply, creating boldly, being loud when it counts, and remembering to keep it fun.

Through this fund, we will also raise resources to support affirming mental health therapy and facilitated support groups for queer, trans, and disabled community members. Maddox understood that creativity and mental health are deeply connected—that art can be a lifeline, a place to process grief, joy, identity, and survival. Supporting access to therapy and community-based mental health care is a continuation of the care he offered simply by being himself.

This fund is about more than remembrance. It is about continuation. It is about ensuring that artists and community members who have been pushed to the margins have access to resources, visibility, healing, and belonging. It is about keeping creativity—and care—around us and around him always.

As Mad would say, this is our call to show up, to listen, and to be loud.

We carry him with us. In our work. In our art. In our healing. In our joy. In every act of care and creation that comes next.

About Maddox Weber

Maddox Weber was a queer trans artist based in Bradenton, Florida. They primarily worked with ceramics, while also incorporating mixed media and performance art to explore connection, education, and dialogue. Conceptually driven and inspired by sensory stimulation, their work was often structured through narrative and challenged ideas around sexuality, gender, politics, and tradition—frequently offering sociological perspectives through a dystopian lens.

Maddox donated several pieces to our nonprofit during his lifetime, trusting that we would find a meaningful way to honor his work and spirit. We hope you will help us show up for him now, just as he so generously showed up for others.

Maddox Weber Memorial Fund