Over the last few years, drag has become villainized. Religious, social, and political groups around the world are spreading misinformation. This ignorance and misinformation, including disgusting accusations of abuse, age inappropriacy, and grooming, has created a wave of misunderstanding across the world. Here in the USA, laws are actively being written and passed that are targeting the drag community and in turn the LGBTQIA+ community. For drag to remain as a beautiful, empowering expression of our pride and humanity, we have to take a stance.

In the art world, there is a implied hierarchy of importance. Often called the “noblest form of painting,” portraiture tends to be seen as the most coveted and technically impressive forms of art, reserved for the most important of subjects. The most famous pieces of art known to the public tend to be portraits, i.e. the Mona Lisa, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer by Gustav Klimt, American Gothic, Van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet.

Despite growing acceptance, the drag community often lacks representation, particularly in art. This project aims to spotlight the beauty and diversity of drag performers through unique art portraits, contributing to increased visibility and representation. Using a historically significant form of art (one might even say heteronormative art), portraiture has the ability to convey importance, endurance, and beauty. Painting drag performers in this light helps to shed light on this marginalized group of the LGBTQIA+ community and begin to destigmatize drag.

Art has the power to change things and to heal. We need to weaponize art to show the world the beauty and goodness that dwells within the heart of drag.

The project is well underway! While more performers are being recruited, portraits are being painted. Currently, I am the only artist involved in this project, but I have reached out to my artist friends (also in the queer community) for their interest in helping. With a goal of 30 portraits, we have a lot of work on our hands. The nature of oil paints does slow down the process as well, but as of now, I am aiming to begin production of the project for distribution by mid-late 2025.

Updates will be sent to all interested parties as we continue to work through the portraits, advertising, and sourcing. If you would like to follow along on the journey but cannot donate at the moment, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter so you are up to date on all the news.