Jose

Jose Villalobos

2019

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Jose Villalobos

My body is a canvas for his belt, hands, fear and homophobia. His image firmly pressed against my skin. It’s tough being Brown. It’s tougher being Brown & Queer

José Villalobos grew up on the US/Mexico border in El Paso, TX, and was raised in a traditional conservative family. His work reconciles the identity challenges in his life, caught in between traditional Mexican customs and American mores, as well as growing up with religious ideals that contrast with being gay. In his artistic practice, Villalobos explores traditionally "masculine" objects and softens the virility of them. Villalobos received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He has exhibited and performed at Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, TX; El Paso Museum of Art, TX; and El Museo de Arte de Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. He is a 2018 recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant.

Link to Jose's website

Syracuse Queer Icons

In 2021 I was contacted by ArtRage Gallery about the possibility of creating a series of prints for some local QTPOC artists and activists. ArtRage Gallery has a long history of highlighting art with a social justice themes and has a strong ties to the queer community of Syracuse. They reached out to local queer organizations and asked them to nominate folks they thought would be ideal for this series. After meeting with community leaders we decided on these ten individuals, each who are pushing and doing the work for their local Queer community. I’ve never worked in such a hyperlocal community like this and it felt right. The project culminated with an exhibit that opened in June 2022.

Looking forward to collaborating with other arts organizations in the coming future.

Rahzie Seals

Rahzie Seals 2022

Text by Rahzie Seals

Whenever a society becomes rigid , represses an energy or becomes too much the extreme of an energy or value system, New art always emerges.... Be new art!!!

Every challenge offers us the opportunity to learn more about ourselves and life, than we have the opportunity to offer something valuable back to the world.

Hey Geighbor

Black Lives Matter

BlackCuse Pride

Always give thanks!

BLM SYR

Non-Binary

Love!

QTBIPOC LIVES MATTER!

Burn Sage!

Drink water!

Create the world you dream to live in.

Just live!

Be Unapologetic!

Always fight for what's right!

Learn.... then Teach!

Rahzie is a powerhouse activist. They are a founding member of Black Lives Matter Syracuse. And as such, Rahzie helped organize a 600 person March through the City of Syracuse and then helped organize a 3,000 + Rally on the steps of city Hall in 2020. They also took on the Black Panther challenge raising funds to rent out two movie theaters to take over 500+kids and community members to see the Black Panther.

In 2013 they founded Black Cuse Pride, the first local QTBIPOC organization in the City of Syracuse. In the past few years, Black Cuse Pride has been instrumental in drastically challenging the lack of diversity in CNY Pride, the organization that organizes Syracuse’s annual Pride Parade and Festival. CNYPride has made significant changes to their organization and festival to become more inclusive. Rahzie also advocated and helped create the first ever TGNC (Trans, Gender non-confirming) police policy with the Syracuse police department. There was never a policy like this in Syracuse. Police were able to treat LGBTQ & QTBIPOC and misgendered folks how ever they wanted before the policy came into effect.

Rahzie was recently appointed to the newly formed LGBTQ+ Advisory Board to the City of Syracuse and is currently working on a way to bring a LGBTQ CENTER to the City of Syracuse.

Fabiola Ortiz Valdez

Text by Fabiola Ortiz Valdez

(In Spanish)

una de las cosas que hemos aprendido de las Feministas Negras es que hay fuerzas que impiden a toda costa que ciertos seres vengan al mundo, que quieren crear una realidad donde bebes inmigrantes, pobres, y de color no puedar existir, y menos vivir con Dignidad… y aun así contra toda adversidad, existen. Esto hace que sus existencias sean Revolucionarias. Tu, mi amor, junto a tu hermano y tu hermana, a quien tú mama Sal y yo solo tuvimos en nuestros brazos unas horas, son eso: una Revolución. De acuerdo a esas fuerzas, ustedes no deberían de existir; tienen 2 mamas y una de ellas es inmigrante Mexicana y de familia de clase trabajadora, y aun así ustedes existen. Los segudos que tu hermana estuvo en este mundo revolucianado nuestras vidas; tu hermano Silvio a quien con su nombre honramos a Sylvia Rivera cada día nos da esperanza que otro mundo es possible; y tú aunque todavía estes dentro de mi cuerpo, eres ya esperanza viva. Todos ustedes son eso: una Revolución de Amor. Ser sus mamas es el acto politico más importante de nuestras vidas.

Vienes a un mundo jodido, donde la persecución de nuestra gente es salvaje, donde nuestros cuerpos como inmigrantes, queers y mujeres son objeto de violencia, donde el duelo no nor deja respirar… Pero también hay Amor Rebeldia, Orgullo, Lucha, Resistencia y mucha fiesta. Dicen por ahi “aqui estamos, no nos fuimos y no nos vamos”. Desde abajo y a la izquierda las maternidades seran deseadas

o no seran! Tu nombre es Ramona Slade, honrando a la comandanta Zapatista, y a la camarada Nikeeta Slade

(In English)

One of the things we have learned from Black feminists is that there are power structures that want to prevent certain humans from coming into the world at all costs, that want to create a reality where immigrant, poor, and babies of color cannot exist, let alone live with dignity... and yet, against all adversity, they exist.

That makes their existence revolutionary. You, my love, along with your brother and sister, whom your Mama Sal and I only held in our arms for a few hours, are just that... a revolution. According to those forces, you should not exist, your existence is wrong: you have two mothers, and one of them is a Mexican immigrant from a working-class family, and yet here you are.

The seconds that your sister was in this world revolutionized our lives; your brother Silvio, whom with his name we honor the powerful Sylvia Rivera, gives us hope every day that a better world is possible; and although you are still inside my body, I also feel your strength. All of you are that, you are a revolution of love. Being your mothers is the most important political act of our lives.

You are coming into a fucked up world, where the persecution of our people is savage, where our bodies as women, immigrants and queers are objects of violence, where mourning makes us unable to breathe... all of this is true. But there is also love, rebellion, pride, struggle, resistance and celebration. As they say out there “here we are, we’re always here, we didn't leave and we won't go”…from the bottom and to the left (where the heart is) motherhood will be chosen and not forced. Your name is Ramona Slade, honoring Zapatista Comandanta Ramona and our dear comrade Niketa Slade.

Fabiola is a Mexican, immigrant queer woman from Chihuahua, Mexico, and migrated to the U.S. in 2008. Daughter of parents who worked hard all of their lives to provide for their families, and the granddaughter of miners, farmworkers, and revolutionaries. Her political education and foundation comes from the Zapatista communities in Chiapas, Mexico.

2009, Fabiola has worked and organized with undocumented farm workers in several parts of the U.S. Some of her most significant organizing work has been in NY with the Workers Center of CNY and in community with undocumented workers and queer organizers. Fabiola’s lifelong commitment to continue fighting and standing strong with excluded migrant workers is very much connected to her identity as a proud queer Mexican immigrant. Fabiola currently lives in Syracuse, NY with her partner Sal, their son Silvio, and a number of their chosen family and organizing community.

Hunter Kusak

Text by Hunter Kusak

I transitioned at a young age, still following the binary until a couple years ago

Music having the biggest impact on how I perform my gender,

Prince was and will continue to be one of my biggest icons.

But one day Patsy Cline came knocking, and I answered.

Crazy, is all I could think, Dolly and Loretta joined her,

only showing me more of what I now crave, the country.

But in fear for my safety, I can’t be a black queer cowhand, in the country at least.

So for now I’ve settled on being weird, a cigarette, an outlaw.

my body will be accepted into spaces my soul could never gain access to

could I explain my identity in words? No,

at least not accurately, so the closest thing, for now, is being a cowhand.

Yee Haw!

Hunter is brave, passionate and personable. While in high school, they were passionate about educating others about pregnancy prevention and reproductive health-related topics, and brave enough to stand up in front of their peers and other adults to educate through every forum available to them. Hunter is committed to the LGBTQ+ youth community, and served as part of the local Q-Center Youth Advisory Board – planning activities for LGBTQ+ youth. They were also a Peer Educator with ACR Health, and certified to teach an evidence-based comprehensive sex education program, which has been proven effective in reducing the incidence of risky behaviors in at-risk youth and young adults.

Hunter’s confidence and charisma have been honed through their own personal journey and challenges, which was also the catalyst for their personal desire to help and advocate for others. After graduating high school (a year early), Hunter has been attending Syracuse University, and was an Assistant Peer Educator at Reach CNY, where they were able to help in the facilitation of Sexuality and Social Justice – a group that looks at the impact long lasting systems of oppression can have on overall health/sexual health, specifically within the black and brown queer communities. They are currently working on developing a pleasure-based sex education program for college age students, and is also a photography intern for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Sara Hagan

Text by Sara Hagan

And this body will turn to light and ash…a remedy for the sun.

My name is Sara Hagan I am 16, I am African American, and I am pansexual and non-binary.

I’ve been working as an artist since I was a child. I enjoy all forms of art as well. Until my 8th grade year I always saw my art as a simple hobby, from which I could not actually acquire a job from. Before I only thought it to be a sort of escape from the harsh South Carolina life, a way to feel less alone. I could not be openly queer in the south, even all references to being queer were met with snide remarks and general hatred. Until I was offered the opportunity to draw live in front of an audience. That day changed my life. The day before my spring break I was offered by my advanced art teacher to draw live in front of an audience of people who I could tell even from the way they dressed as held themselves were of importance (I learned later that these people were lawyers and grant-givers, those who presented were looking to get more funding for their respective programs). Never have I experienced a moment like that one. I drew a lilac sky on an iPad that was hooked to the projectors in the room. In that moment I wanted to chase that feeling again and again, and I knew, truly knew that art was something I wanted with my life.

The queer community within Syracuse alone was the most drastic change I have ever experienced. In South Carolina I never even saw a rainbow flag in real life. But there were so many people here who actively flaunted their identities, where I was deeply closeted just a few months before. Since moving back to upstate New York I have been trying to get more involved in the community of Artists nestling within it. And through my art I have defined my feelings with both my sexuality and gender, and how I perceive them. I love being able to express myself in hundreds of ways just through my art.

Text by Ellen Blalock

Sankofa

Open — No Cages

Wings to Fly

Nomadic

Free to Love . . . To Be Me

Blalock's comment of the portrait:

“The image is my reminder of my place in the family — I am the family historian and now an elder. I am a member of the oldest generation living on my father’s side. I am now a wisdom keeper.

The writing and drawing I included relates to my installation . . .While Black — birds, flight, freedom to be and to soar. The open bird cage releases one to be their authentic self with the wisdom of Sankofa to remember the past to move forward.”

Ellen M. Blalock is a narrative artist and documentarian, originally from Philadelphia, PA, and currently lives in Syracuse, NY. Her media are photography, video, drawing, fiber and installation.

In the 1980s, Blalock first started documenting her and her family’s life through collecting oral history and photographs to build artist books, story quilts, and narratives for photos and video.

Then she expanded her interest to the community around her. In her words:

“I am an artist with a mission. I believe my job is to be a conduit to listen and tell the stories of people that need to be heard and represented; the ones whose lives and experiences have been marginalized. I am particularly interested in the African American experience in the United States. Through my art, I have dealt with issues around African American teen fathers, slavery, female identity and power, LGBTQ families, deaf children, mental illness and trauma, and the ancestors. My job is to listen, to record, to make available the voices and stories of what is missing”.

Lately Blalock traveled to one of the world’s largest refugee camps, Dagahaley in the desert of Kenya, to witness and document Salat Ali's journey to reunite with his mother who fled the civil war in Somalia many decades ago. The photo series is traveling to community centers and libraries in Central New York.

Most recently, Blalock was honored with being SUNY Oswego first Artist-in-Residence, where she installed . . .While Black. She turned the gallery into a sacred space to meditate and recognize the magic and miracle of the African American experience, and also to acknowledge the truths and horrors of “Living While Black” in America. While Black addresses the fragility of living in a systematic racist environment designed to silence and kill dreams.

Blalock has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions at ArtRage: The Struggle to Connect, 2022; 100 Years of Women Rockin’ the World, 2011; CNY Pride Families II, 2011; Stitching Stories: Thread, Needle, Narrative, 2018. For four decades she has exhibited throughout the United States in museums, galleries, and non-traditional places to bring art to the people.

Talia Shenandoah

Text by Talia Shenandoah

KARONHIANONS

A fateful blustery December eve, bore a free-spirited child Desperate for affection, longing deeply to be seen

Daydreaming the days away, she fancied her own self a queen

Just like the grandmother she looked up to, so lovely, regal, and strong

The person who made her feel safest, the home where she belonged

Boundlessly imaginative, creating whole worlds in her mind

Dressing up day and night, fantasy and lure kept her hope alive

Struggling through her youth to be heard, a nonconsensual witness to violence

She was old enough to understand, and shed endless tears in silence

Fighting to keep at bay her inner fire, a feverish rage

It wasn’t until she found her voice, her passion, and her solace on the stage

A place where she could escape the day,

To be anything or anyone else, the only way

She’d lose herself in books, escaping in delight

Other days, words swirled on a page, urging her to write

Openly embracing the unknown, how she loved a good theme

Each lively and delicious challenge, another reason to dream

Lost in possibility, and to anyone who dared tell her no

She would succeed… in creating her own opportunity-

A safe space for herself and others to grow

Breaking through a heavy hardened shell, built by years of trauma and fear

She learned how to love and express herself, through the art she held so dear

She built a community, a family, of love divine,

Her name is Karonhianons, one of Creator’s children “she lays down the sky”

She was more than a girl, she was a star, and lustrous was her shine!

Talia Shenandoah (she/they) is a Mohawk- Indigenous Artist, Performer, and Entrepreneur. Currently the Group Sales Assistant at Syracuse Stage, Talia recently passionately transitioned to a career in Theater following a decade of dedicated work as a Human Service Professional. Her areas of special focus included working with Tribal and Urban Native communities, the LGBTQ+ population, education, outreach, program development, and care management. Talia has served on many state level committees, fulfilling administrative duties all the way through to Co-chair roles. She is also the co-founder and current Director of Salt City Burlesque LLC, an entertainment troupe and production founded in early 2015 that prioritizes LGBTQ+ artistry and calls Syracuse home. Dedicated to art, advocacy, and community, Talia hopes to bring a multi-faceted and passionate people-centered approach to each and every one of her projects.

José Miguel Hernández Hurtado

Text by José Miguel Hernández Hurtado

Mi nombre es Jose Miguel Hernandez Hurtado Manrreza Molina . Mis amigos del corazon me llaman Papo. Yo naci en Santa Clara Villa Clara Cuba. En mi hermosa isla cubana. Mis padres fueron Sara Y Miguel. Hoy mis dos angeles de luz Mis lindos abuelos de crianza fueron Edelmira e Isidro . Unas personas muy nobles y bellas . Desde los siete años amo al teatro y el arte en general. Mis maestros fueron como un faro de luz para mi. Entre ellos Ana Manso, Hermagoras y Raquel Revuelta , mi luz e inspiracion en el teatro. “ … Solo con el corazon se puede ver bien, lo esencial es invisible para los ojos.” “ El Principito “. Mi familia de la Joven Guardia del Teatro y la Danza Latina inc en Syracuse son mi motivacion. Mis hermanos de sangre son Walkiria, Ismari y Lazarito. Y mis hermanos del alma son Shirley, Dianaleis, Marilu, Susi Pecorado, Fanny y todos los niños de la Joven Guardia en Syracuse Nueva York. El 11 de Noviembre de 1997 mis alas volaron lejos al norte. Y el 14 de Noviembre fui transplantado a Syracuse con una maleta llena de sueños y alegrias.

Luisito es el hijo que Dios me dio. Mis compañeros en la vida, Arturo, Mark, Xing,Thom y Enrique, me han ayudado a ser siempre una major persona y mejor ser humano. Como dijo Jose Marti. yo “ Tengo fe en el mejoramiento humano. y mucha mas fe en los desconocidos.

Gracias a mis grandes amigos hermanos Alejandro Garcia y Shirley por su continuidad y apoyo. Y a todos los angeles que me han acompañado en mi caminar por la vida. “ Y Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto. ”Una vez un extraño me regalo flores. Desde entonces yo supe que lo tendria todo para ser feliz. Los sueños DREAMS, son sentimientos fisicos y emocionales que siempre por razones biologicas tienen un sujeto. El corazon.

Gracias a mi amiga y hermana Fanny por estar a mi lado en toda esta pandemia. Ella ha demostrado gran valor y amor incondicional.

No es perfecta; pero es una flor.

José Miguel Hernández Hurtado is originally from Cuba and has lived in Syracuse since November 14, 1997. Before beginning his current work at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital’s emergency department, the first 17 years in Syracuse he worked at Rosewood Heights Health Center as a physical therapy aide.

In 1999, José Miguel organized and directed a theater company under the umbrella of the Spanish Action League, serving as artistic director and dance instructor. The group , La Joven Guardia, was recently incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit. It has performed over 21 contemporary and classical Spanish children’s plays, including performances at the Michael Harms Theater Festival in Central New York.

José Miguel also teaches beginner Salsa and other traditional Caribbean dances to children and adults in various places around CNY including Syracuse University, Community Folk Art Center, Syracuse Stage and other venues.

José Miguel’s work on the radio and in theater in Cuba carried over to his life in Syracuse, maintaining his firm belief that every child needs and deserves an opportunity to reach for a better place in which to live, and to realize their dreams for a better future. Several of his students have received awards for their performances and

José Miguel received the ‘Excellence in Outstanding Achievement for Direction’ award. His work with youth has continued as a service to his community right up to the present.

Tim Lattimore

Text by Timothy Lattimore

My past does not define who I am…but I use it as a reminder of what bad choices can lead to, as a lesson to make the best informed choices that I can make, and as a motivator to be the best person I can be. This is the first step in giving back to the community. Learn from your past for your future.

Reflections on Timothy from SAGE Director, Kim Dill:

Tim came to SAGE Upstate a few years ago when his time as an inmate was finished. He had been incarcerated for something that happened in his teens. I know little about the person he was back then, but the person I know now is full of kindness and compassion. I saw it the first time he came into our Center at SAGE to ask about our programs and also ask whether he would be welcomed. In that meeting I saw a lightness in him, and also a great sadness. He told me he stood in the hall for a while waiting to come in, wondering whether he would be accepted with his history. I'm happy to say he hasn't wondered much about this since. SAGE folks have embraced Tim. He participated in many programs before the pandemic and did a lot of volunteering.

When the Center was closed in 2020, Tim stayed around and used his time and organizational skills at SAGE. He reorganized the center, the kitchen and the store room, and he volunteered on mailings and other things. People don't usually count these things as "activism," but to me they form the backbone of any successful nonprofit organization. Our mission at SAGE is to improve health and counter isolation for older LGBTQ people. Tim's work to make our Center run more smoothly will help us do these things. Tim worked through two years of parole, then found a job and a nice apartment. He still helps SAGE whenever he can.

Tim is also a poet who has participated in the SAGE Upstate Writers group. His pieces are powerful -- he writes about good feelings and people and friendships, but also about big things like the universe and cultural hatred. In most of his poems he finds a way to get back to hope and compassion by the end.

Jason Ngo

Text by Jason Ngo

A taste of Filipino and Vietnamese – 5555 Accept the Change – We Belong Here Too

Sex positivity Baby! The future is Queer – Love has no Gender – There is strength in pain –Learn to unlearn – It’s a dip, not a deathdrop! Where all my Queers at? Step into your fear – Step into your greatness – Mahal Kita – Trust your Angels.

Pull up for others but always remember to pull up for yourself too!

When you’re on the floor you gotta shine – Food Yum!!

Jason Ngo is a queer vietnamese/filipino BIPOC artist from Syracuse, NY who identifies as he/him/they/them. During his teenage years, they found an interest with dance through hip-hop and breakdancing performing at local events. Currently he has found interest in the ballroom culture and learning the dance language of vogue. With the drag persona. Yuka Liptis, he has performed at local venues in Syracuse as a part time drag queen. Local theater and film has also been a part of his path and focal point as an artist starring in productions like Marie and The Nutcracker Prince for Breadcrumbs Productions and Sister Act for Redhouse Theatre.

They have also dabbled in modeling, working with local photographers and designers on published editorials and strutting runways locally and for NYFW. He recently worked with community leaders in Syracuse on creating and organizing an Asian American Pacific Islander Festival (AAPI) to raise awareness and support against Asian hate crimes and has partnered with local production company BLAAC (Black Latino Asian Artist Coalition) to host this event. He is also the Director of Opportunity for Breadcrumbs Productions, reaching out to the community and connecting them with opportunities through the arts.

Castro, Bayani & Candy

2019

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Marisa Castro & Candy Guinea

We found love, trust, and healing in each other and with that we manifested our familia. WE were blessed with a beautiful being full of light and joy and we named him Bayani, nuestro heroe. Living in gratitude everyday for the courage and intention of building our family and co-creating new cycles of healing, harmony and joy.

Infaquerical: Indigenous familia, queer, radical, magical, my life forever changed, carried my sun for nine months. I am forever blessed forever thankful for mi familia. Warrior, healer cafetero magico, cruising listening to Sunday Night oldies. Be thankful for what you got, Sunsets Laughter, Fierce love.

Hero, Mexicanx, Filipnx, Xicanx, Pinxy, Fire, Laughter Loved by good measure Bayani.

Fierce, brown, femme, Mexicana, Salvadorena, Xicana, mujer, mama, filmaker, Bailadora, Sonadora, chillona pero chingona,cumbiera, Agradecida al universo por esta vida y por la maduria de vivirla enteramente. Gracias por ensenarme lo bello en la incertidad y lo nuevo. Queer, indigena, con el nopal en la frente, Tortillera, mujer podersoa siempre. Siguiendo adelante manifestadora.

Candy Guinea is a queer, femme, Xicana, documentary filmmaker. She is invested in creating films that authentically represent the experiences of people of color and queer people of color as a tool for social justice. She decided to become a documentary filmmaker, in particular, because she is cognizant of the limited representations of marginalized communities, of her own communities, in film and media.

Link to Candy's website

Marisa Castro has ten years of experience working in youth development and education. She earned her teaching credential and Master’s in Teaching Urban Education and Social Justice from the University of San Francisco. Once out of graduate school, she began her career as an educator teaching Ethnic Studies, U.S. History, Government, and Economics at Balboa High School, a culturally and racially diverse institution in San Francisco. She currently teaches high school in Sacramento.

Melonie & Melorra

MELONIE & MELORRA

Melonie & Melorra

2019

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Melonie & Melorra Green

Think highly of yourself.

Think To & For yourself

Idenitity is so intimate but we often forget to check inside.

Ask yourself many questions

Before you die, take the time to know thyself

I'm the best thing I could ever give us

Because I bring me we be.

Time is meant for you to know you.

Get curious about yourself.

So you can add to the mix

the life

Love true self

We are here in this world for a divine purpose to know imagination.

The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible

Ibeji

Milky Way

Green

Binion

Benjamin

Tate

Cole

Mom

Missisipi

Choctaw

Creole

Niji

Memphis

Our Land

Crown Yourself

You are God

Melonie Green & Melorra Green

Executive Directors/Curators/Artists/Radio Show Hosts/Community Activists . Melonie Green and Melorra Green are the Co-Executive Directors of the African American Art & Culture Complex located in the Fillmore/Western Addition neighborhood of the San Francisco, CA. Originally from Memphis, TN, they moved to San Francisco in 2000, after graduating from Tennessee State University, to attend the Academy of Art University. In a little over a decade, Melonie and Melorra have generated an enormous artistic legacy in San Francisco and the Bay Area, producing more than 70 exhibits and 100 public events. They host a Tuesday night weekly radio show, The Ibeji Lounge on KPOO 89.5FM. Ibeji denotes twins in Yoruba culture and these pair of twins are the genius behind some of the most exciting public programs and events, including the explosive exhibition, Black Women Is God held annually for the past three years at SOMArts Cultural Center. Affectionately known as “The Twins”, they have together and separately curated galleries at SOMArts, the African American Art & Culture Complex, Omi Gallery in Oakland, AfroSolo visual arts exhibition in the Public Library and the art in the office of former President of the Board of Supervisors London Breed. They have shut down the Castro and organized Independent Artists Week and the Fillmore Art Walk, earned numerous prestigious awards and honors and have mentored and assisted thousands of artists in the Bay Area

Dorian

Dorian Edward Wood

2019

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Dorian Edward Wood

It doesn’t cost you a damn thing to let people be as god made them. Trust me there is no hell for a creature like me. There is no hell at all. I know this because god themselves told me when they gave me these beautiful things.

Look at me and tell me you will taste them even if they’re ell. Libertine; can’t get enuf of a fire that doesn’t give a fuck and my mami and all the angels birth and so generously gifted. Eternity for us. All of us.

Artist Dorian Wood seeks to glorify both the sanctity and irreverence of intimacy. Through the use of their corpulent body and booming voice, Wood revels in challenging the artist-audience separation, using subject matter informed by their own position in society as a non-binary person of color and an autodidact without a formal college education nor a strong alliance to any particular community. Their work has been showcased in concert halls and performance spaces around the world, including at such institutions as The Broad (Los Angeles), LACMA (Los Angeles), The Stone (NYC), MASS Gallery (Austin), Kulturhuset (Stockholm), and the City Hall of Madrid. As a musician, they have released over a dozen recordings, among them two back-to-back albums, Rattle Rattle and Down, The Dirty Roof, showcasing a series of doomsday-themed songs that incorporate over 60 musicians. Their latest alum, XALA, marks the first time that Wood has recorded a full-length work in their mother tongue of Spanish. In 2019, Wood debuted their conceptual live tribute to Chavela Vargas, XAVELA LUX AETERNA, at the Festival de Arte Sacro in Madrid, in collaboration with composer/orchestra arranger Alberto Montero.

You can find out more info about Dorian at their website here

Alan

Alan Palaez Lopez

2018

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Alan Palaez Lopez

I am nine-years-old and Mama Maria tells me que somos negros / I do not believe her / We have only been in this country for four years and / one thing I know is that Americans can be Black and only Americans can be white / Y yo. / Como puedo ser Negro? / No hablo ingles, no tengo papeles, mierda, no soy Americano. Mama Maria me dice que somos Negros / That I must learn to love my skin, / Mi piel / To Love my accent, / mi acento, / To love my culture, / mi cultura LLAMAME NEGR@

Alan Pelaez Lopez is an Afro-Indigenous writer, jeweler and collage artist from Oaxaca, México whose vision of liberation prioritizes an everyday relationship to land, territory and art. Pelaez Lopez’s work appears in POETRY Magazine, Puerto Del Sol, Pittsburgh Poetry Review, Everyday Feminism and more. They have performed in venues across the U.S. such as Harvard University, Columbia University, NYU, and San Francisco’s African American Art and Culture Theatre to name a few as well as Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar in Senegal. Pelaez Lopez was the recipient of the 2013 National Youth Courage Award for their commitment to fight alongside their undocumented queer and trans community. They currently serve on the steering committee of the Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project (BLMP) and laugh, ache, cry, mourn & fuck in Chochenyo Ohlone Land (Oakland, CA).

You can learn more about Alan by going to his website or social media handles:

www.alanpelaez.com | IG/TW: @MigrantScribble

Caleb

Caleb Luna

2018

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Caleb Luna

REVENGE BODY

When they don’t want u 2 live but u do!

fat, femme, ugly Loveable

Caleb Luna is a writer, activist, teacher, performer and Ph.D. student in Performance Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. They are interested in the cultural and socio-historical meanings ascribed to fatness in the current colonial moment, and how meaning is mapped on to bodies broadly for the purposes of establishing and maintaining a colonial hierarchy. They are a co-author of the forthcoming Body Sovereignty: Fat Politics and the Fight for Human Rights (Praeger/ABC-CLIO,2019). You can find their writing online on Black Girl Dangerous, Everyday Feminism and The Body Is Not An Apology, and in Nepantla: An Anthology Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color.

Ezak

Ezak Perez

2018

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Ezak Perez

My people are…trans, non-binary, intersex, queer, elders, youth

My people are…undocumented, incarcerated, seeking asylum

My people are…struggling w/mental health

My people are…chronically ill

My people are resilient af.

My people are Black & Brown

I am. compassionate, a caretaker, a tio, a visionary, an abolitionist, sacred

I am. Latinx, Chicanx, LA, a lover, loved, loving, complicated, resilient, grounded

I am. Brown, trans, two spirit, masc-femme, Native American/Indigenous

I am. A water protector, an elder in training, healing from trauma

I am my ancestors, my trancestors, my two spirit siblings

I am here for all of it, the good, the bad, the messy

I am here for the struggle and the joy, the pain, the love

I am here for the pleasure, reclaiming, trans women

I am here for my people, ceremony

I am here for the ones before me and after me.

———-

Ezak Amaviska Perez was born and raised in and around Tongva Territory, Los Angeles, CA. They are two spirit and of Indigenous Hopi & Paeaekila (Pecos) Puebloan people. He is also a Xicanx and Latinx trans community organizer. They are always remembering and reclaiming. They have been facilitating and organizing locally in Los Angeles as well as nationally for the past 15+ years. He is currently the Executive Director of Gender Justice LA, which is a grassroots social justice organization led by and for non-binary, two spirit and trans people of color. We organize, hold space, provide resources, and collaborate with others so that our communities can: resist oppression, develop community responses to violence, heal from present & historical trauma, and come together in ways that feel brave & affirming. Ezak believes in building up the collective leadership and power of the trans, non-binary & intersex community. They work at the intersections of racial, economic and gender justice while uplifting disability, sexual and reproductive health justice issues. They have recently co-authored a report: Addressing HIV Prevention Among Transmasculine Californians. Ezak is part of the Indigenous Pride LA Executive Committee which helped to create the first Indigenous Pride LA. He’s been honored by the Sons & Brothers Portrait Series for Native American heritage month and became the first Mr. Quest 2016. Ezak was a 2018 Trans Justice Funding Project grantmaking panelist, helping to move over half a million dollars of unrestricted funds to trans led organizations and groups. They were blessed to be selected as a 2018 Windcall Residency fellow. He is currently a fellow with the Woman’s Policy Institute. They believe self-care & community care are critical and essential to be able to do this work for the long haul which is why he enjoys a good mani/pedi, eating delicious homemade meals and spending time in nature, as well as with his chosen family. Ezak is beyond humbled and honored to be apart of this art series, Queer Icons by Gabriel Garcia Roman

Gabriela

Gabriela Alemán

2018

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Gabriela Alemán

Made by womxn with more than one spirit. Womxn whose existence wasn’t measured by sins. Womxn who refused to operate within the confines of femininity politics. Made by womxn whose existence began and ended with owning their spirits.

—————

I am a womxn with more than one spirit. Whose resistance is measured by sins. I am a womxn who refuses to operate within the confines of my femininity because I was made by womxn whose existence began and ended with owning their spirits.

Gabriela Alemán (she/her) also known as Sumg Morenita is a queer Nicaraguan & Salvadoran visual artist.

Resonating with the aesthetic of comics and pop art, her work consists of boldly colored graphics that highlight Latinx, subjects and iconography she sees missing in mainstream art. Self-taught, she began drawing and experimenting with different materials and mediums as a means to explore her experiences as a first-generation child of Central American immigrants. Her subjects range from folklore dancers to reimagined beer cans and cultural iconography. She’s devoted to using her art to bring visibility to the Central American diaspora.

Outside of her visual work, she is an organizer, writer and proud product of SF’s Mission District. You can see her work here

Panda Dulce

2018

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Panda Dulce

i am illegible and exquisite / scrappy + enduring / i am burning / a tenderhearted healer in search of healing / sacred pacific blue / wet nalu / i am a seismic force to be reckoned with / four generations of chinese portugese hawaiian immigrants seeking refuge in oakland chinatown / still seeking / a radar blip violently ill of void / young, pissed and becoming / mermaid, witch doctor and assassin / i have come to kill our colonizer with saxophone and flail / i am a criminal queer / a cosmic faggot with a thousand lives / snatched to the goddesses / we are the lost boys / ebbing and flowing / do not underestimate us / we are the future and your end / we have sworn to see, affirm, love and protect each other / the world is a closing door / and we, the holy unhingers refusing to knock / you will remember us / you will remember our magic /

Find out more about Panda Dulce here

Fei Hernandez

2018

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Fei Hernandez

There is a woman dug beneath the rubble, my man body. She pushes against my man pelvis, her coffin door, to rise from the grave every morning. She tickes the tongue avidly finding ways to snicker or howl her way out of me.

MY FATHER DOESN'T KNOW I'M HIS DUAGHTER TOO.

This woman wants my father to see the tiny woman she prepared for war even at the expense of them dying unseen.

She is wide-eyed, thick, brown, and big-lipped, the tones of mestizaje.

This tiny women in me don't stop to uphold my uterus in the air as if it were a god in need of holding

She is herbologist teacher that pulls trees from seeds and boils herbs that cure INEPTITUDE.

She is a soldier that trains the tiny women in me to carry gun in arms instead of men.

She digs her TALONS into my heart and proclaims her victory in this war... MY BODY is HER BODY...

Féi Hernandez is a formerly undocumented immigrant from Chihuahua, Mexico. They are a performing poet and interdisciplinary artist, facilitating a poetry cohort of queer writers of color in the Los Angeles Area. They are a VONA (Voices of our Nations Foundation) fellow and have a BA in American Studies form Dickinson College. Currently a creative writing and art teacher and Family Literacy coach at Century Community Charter School, the middle school they attended, in Inglewood, California. Additionally works as a full time reiki Master that works with communities of color across the Los Angeles area.

Find out more about Fei here

Louie Ortiz-Fonseca

2018

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Louie Ortiz-Fonseca

i am close. closer than i thought. the sky is blue and all. i feel free and tall. my wings are heavy, pretty and small like angels. i am close. closer than it seems to red and yellow dreams. no nightmare, no screams, no junkies, no fiends. just a world where i mean something. i am close. i close my eyes and wish away my luck. always unlucky my luck wish away his touch. always unlovely his touch. i close my mouth, imprisoning my tongue that turns to paper and burns, heated orange flames when i speak his name, so i don't. i am so close. closer to the sky. i am waiting for it to explode. dropping something that will change my life. i am close. so close i reach far beyond the edge. i made this pledge. that if heaven doesn'tfall into me. i will fall into heaven.

Louie A. Ortiz-Fonseca is an HIV Positive Queer AfroBoricua award-winning HIV activist and artist. He is the 2015 winner of the Hispanic Choice Awards for Creative Artist of the Year for his digital storytelling project The Gran Varones, a platform that amplifies queer history and the stories of gay, queer, trans and bisexual men. Louie is a Ford Public Voices Fellow. Oh yeah, Louie’s favorite bible verse is “I don’t know her.” from the book of Mariah.

You can find out more about Louie’s Gran Varones project here

Ericka

2018

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Ericka Hart

I identify as a Black, queer, femme, Sagittarius, sexuality educator. Survivor of anti-Blackness, racism, white supremacy, sexualization, sexual molestation, heartbreak, death of a parent and Breast cancer. I am a friend, prima, sister, daughter, tia, future mother. I am an around the way femme. I am a lover, submissive, closeted introvert. Controlling love, popcorn freak. I am a sister, Black suburbian Afro-future day dreamer. I am the future. I am now. STILL HERE. Gender liberator. I am kinky. Whitney Houston lover. I am your dream. I am your juiciest fantasy. I put a spell on you. Reclaiming. I am my body. I am freedom. I am my ancestors. I am you. Still here.

Ericka Hart (pronouns: she/they) is a Black Queer Femme activist, writer, highly acclaimed speaker and award winning sexuality educator with a Master’s of Education in Human Sexuality from Widener University. Ericka’s work broke ground when she went topless showing her double mastectomy scars at Afropunk Fest 2016. Since then, she has spoken at colleges and universities across the country, been featured in countless digital and print publications including Essence, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, Refinery 29, and has a running PSA on Viceland. Ericka’s voice is rooted in leading edge thought around human sexual expression as inextricable to overall human health and its intersections with race, gender, chronic illness and disability. Both radical and relatable, she continues to push well beyond the threshold of sex positivity. Ericka is currently an adjunct at Columbia University’s School of Social Work and calls Brooklyn, her partner and several plants (one of which is named Whitney Houston) home.

Visit her website for more info

Brother(hood) Dance

2017

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Orlando & Riccardo aka Brother(hood) Dance

“In America I place my ring on your cock where it belongs…Long may we live to see this dream.” - Essex Hemphill

“The Children in the Life” - Assotto Saint

Afro/Solo/Man…Afro. I need to guide you home. Afro/solo/man

Sun/Son

Black Jones

how to survive a plague

And 1

Brother(hood) Dance! is an interdisciplinary duo that seeks to inform its audiences on the socio-political and environmental injustices from a global perspective, bringing clarity to the same-gender-loving African-American experience in the 21st century. Brother(hood) Dance! was formed in April 2014 as a duo that research, create and perform dances of freedom by Orlando Zane Hunter, Jr. and Ricarrdo Valentine.

More info on Brother(hood) dance can be found on their site

Jamal

2016

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Jamal:

Freedom is inextricably tied to the power of creating one’s own image: in that we dare to create a new world’s, everlasting evidence that we existed; that we lived and loved and created and cried and fucked and screamed and gave birth to ourselves over and over again a complicated embrace. That’s is me!

I love myself enough to be who I am every layer, every contour, every contradiction. I love myself enough to be who I am: BLACK FAT GENDER TERRORIST. A BLK FAG – Who won’t hush his-her mouth

Jamal T. Lewis is a cultural worker and emerging multidisciplinary performance artist living in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, New York, hailing from Atlanta, Georgia. He/She received a Bachelor of Arts in Music with concentration in Vocal Performance from Morehouse College, and recently received his masters in Media Studies at The New School.

Jamal's work interrogates and explores identity formation, ugliness, desire(ability), race, class, gender, and sexuality through a Black, queer, feminist, abolitionist lens. He/She is currently working on his/her first documentary film, No Fats, No Femmes; and, receiving submissions for his/her forthcoming varied anthology, Femme to Femme.

Kia

2016

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Kia:

As I begin, again I am starting from scratch. I am filled with all the knowledge to begin. I have found again, what I have for many years searched. I am awake, alive in the daytime not only at night, where ! begin. I believe in the power of the universe. That she will continue to be my guide.

Kia Labeija is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in the heart of New York City’s theatre district, Hellz Kitchen.

She speaks frequently in public on the subject of HIV/AIDS and is an advocate for under represented communities living HIV positive including long term survivors, women, minorities and children born with the virus.

Ignacio

2016

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text is by Ignacio:

I live in this place called the middle. A place not yet defined, not yet understood, nor accepted. I am everything but never nothing, cause nothing doesn't derive from anything, and I do!!

Navigated their Rules & gender regulations. Not allowed to look like.....

I come from pink sheets, flowered dresses, ponytails, babydolls, stuffed brash & make up, gender fluid-gender/ gender-fuck.

I am every woman and I am every man....and I am none of that.

I live in this dangerous place.

I am the person I am. I was a girl...a woman. All of it and moe. Take all of me!

Homophobia * Sexism * Femmephobia * Transphobia *

In my androgyny...guarded ees stared intently trying to figure "it" out. These days, you are a (gay) man, and when you do, I remember my survival teachings as a girl.

Ignacio G Rivera is a Two-Spirit, Black-Boricua Taíno, queer performance artist, activist, filmmaker, lecturer and sex educator who prefers the gender neutral pronoun “they.”

Jennicet

2016

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Jennicet:

Mi nombre es Jennicet Eva Gutierrez. I was born in Tuxpan, Jalisco, Mexico. I am the second youngest child of a single mother. My mother raised nine children. Growing up in a catholic religion, society that at times instilled fear and shame in my life, I have embraced them because they have shaped who I am. I am a proud undocumented transgender woman. I came to the United States when I was sixteen years old. My family risked everything and made the ultimate sacrifice to leave Mexico for better economic opportunities. Living in the U.S. I though my life was going to be easier and with more opportunities. It is here when I fully began to explore my gender identity and bean to experience the reality of being undocumented and brown. After years of living in fear and shame, I reclaimed my power and agency by interrupting most powerful man in the world. Undocumented and unashamed transgender.

Jennicet Eva Gutierrez is an undocumented trans Latina activist. She was born in Tuxpan, Jalisco, México. She is passionate about social justice. She lives in Los Angeles and is an active member of Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement.

Haddie

2016

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 15in x 18in.

Text by Haddie:

Today I transcend. Today I live. I live with every formidable facet of my existance. The she, the brown, the queer. Today I'm not armed with the knowledge of which one, which part of my reality they'll attack with fake promises of heathenic cleansing, white-washed fairy tails or the key to being the good woman I have the potential to be. I transcend. I reminice of the days I sought refuge in daddy's closet. Hoping my mother would recognize me when I came out. I live

Haddie Badjie is a multimedia journalist of Gambian descent. She raised in Kentucky and currently lives in Brooklyn.

Rev. Freda

Carlos & Fernando

2016

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 18in x 15in.

Text by Carlos and Fernando Estrada-Lopez

FVCKTM 2015
Rasied on beans and family
Two pour-overs and sweet bread
We were in NYC, PHX, SB & now puro Los Angeles
I am 1978 California. Parents from Michoacan. Pure fucking Queer!
A little nook for the family. Dreamers and bad asses. We are in love with our animals, those personalities.
We are cosmic Chicanos from the stars.

Dancing. Searching. Running.
Nor from here but neither from there. Educated Pochos. Americans
We are Latinos for Obama and Juan Gabriel during the morning. AH-Ha!
I am 1977. E.L.A and Pico. Bicultural. Pure heart.
Stuffed peppers, Parents to Vida, Kiko, Montse and Teo
We are non-profit love. Breathing happiness.

Both Carlos & Fernando are social workers focusing on the LBGTQ and Latino community in the L.A. area. They have been married for 10 years.

Laura Luna

2015
Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 11in x 14in

Text by Laura Luna:

Strength. Vulnerability. Community. Chola Politics. Crimpson lips. Hoops and jet black liner as Xican@ Femme armor. Sage Palo Santo, Ruda & Crystals my Femme Bruja tools. Femmes of Color my <3 work.

Fat. Big Bodied. Abundant. "Mi gorda" as mi mami calls me de carino. When did this body become an insult? Something to feel shame about? When colonizers were unable to revere and worship our bodies as our people always have. Their ability of their minds to wrap around. The ABUNDANCE that doesn't fit their mold. Abundant. Too much. More than enough

Laura Luna Placencia is a self-identified Queer, Fat, Xicana, Bob Vivant Femme who lives and loves in Los Angeles, CA. She has been working with QTPOC community for over a decade. She's the co-founder of the LA Femmes of Color Collective and the #FemmesofColorVisibility hashtag. You can find her online at www.xolauraluna.com

Laura

Kay

2015
Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 11inx14in.

Text by: Kay

1.) Likely someone will use the words "retard," "slow" or "lame" like a daily uppercut on your existence. Likely people will be like, "Let's run, jump, hike and have events only in english. Let's all stand for only 4 hours!" They will call on Frida and Harriet as a rally to defy the odds of POC and women, but ignore their disabled fabulousness. They['ll think that your body is broken, your mind is broken, needs to be cured or ignored. Bless every crack in the bones that makes the music of you.
2.) Are you a leader. If you are not in an organization? What happens when you are abandoned? What if you cannot work? Are you still valuable in the mission and the vision? Let's decolonize the cool. What is desirable for you? Who gets to be beautiful? Tell me?

Kay Ulanday Barrett aka @brownroundboi, is a poet, performer, and educator, navigating life as a disabled pin@y-amerikan transgender queer in the U.S. with struggle, resistance, and laughter.

Kay

Sonia

2015
Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 11in x 14in.
Text by: Sonia
Someone once told you that "even warriors need hugs"...and maybe these words will offer you comfort. There is never a single, nothing to hold all the ache...Today you were reminded that you are and not "Queer" enough, not "artistic" enough, not "migrant" enough...Today you throw away all the "undocumented, unafraid, unapologetic" t-shirts...away...for today you cry. Today you write. Today you make log to your Queer partner. Today, all femmed out you disrupt the gaze. Today you live and not just survive!
Sometimes...Most times you will find yourself blowing on dandelions...hoping that each seed will leave traces of lost memories somewhere in your homeland...or whatever is left of it. Blow it all off. Blow it all off darling.
Somewhere between blowing birthday candles and jumping double dutch you were made ashamed of your imagination. You are divin, remember that you are creating art that people can't see yet.
Dear dad, The return was too painful. I grabbed some flowers and some leafs from the tree nearby and I sneaked it between pages of my journal. Maybe then I can hold still the memories of your home.
Chronicles of finding home after being undocumented.

Sonia Guiñansaca is a Queer Migrant Feminist Poet , Cultural Organizer, and Activist from Harlem by way of Ecuador. In 2007, Guiñansaca came out publicly as an undocumented immigrant. She is the co-founder of some of the largest undocumented organizations in the country, coordinating and participating in groundbreaking civic actions in the immigrant rights movement. She has also founded some of the first creative artistic projects by and for undocumented writers/artists. She has emerged as a national leader in the undocumented migrant artistic and political communities.

Sonia

Emanuel

Emanuel

Bakar

2015
Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 11in x 14in.

Text by: Bakar

I just mourned my former self. One things about how we are very, very lovely, lonely, grapsing at parts of ourselves. Your heart is gone. Eyes give way to other tendencies. When is the. This place beckons in ways you won't recognize until you arrive. Its ghosts are yours now. People all over you like wool, objectified sex. It really does take one fuck to tie it all together. This world is held in place by a criss-cross of metal and guts, glass and steel paneled tino compartments. It is all a lie. The work is allegory.

Bakar Wilson is a fellow of Cave Canem and an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers. He has performed his work at the Bowery Poetry Club, Poetry Project, The Studio Museum of Harlem, and The Asian-American Writer's Workshop among others. His poetry has appeared in The Vanderbilt Review, Stretching Panties, The Brooklyn Rail, and Flicker and Spark: A Contemporary Queer Anthology.

Bakar

Julissa

2014

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 11in x 14in.

Text by: Julissa

She used to believe in miracles, the seeds that were implanted into a child's heart. Slowly being nurtured by the tears of their mothers. Blossoming into dreams, distant realities of impossibilities. Where it would equal centuries and the rainbows will form themselves into your blood stream. Resonating on sidewalk puddles after a storm cause you were essentially a light force a being of beauty where restrictions have no existence and the sun was an echo of your reflection discovering passageways through your pores giving breathe to creation meaning to a paradox substance to stability structure to thought life to living because living was all we knew. She used to believe she could fly spreading her arms across the oceans while taking refuse in the wind consuming a glass of freedom at the breakfast table with self-breaking fast from any lovers and comfort in contradictions because in reality people take themselves too seriously. She would never sweat the small stuff since life is way too short but shortly after she would see things differently because with age it all appears to matter. Mattering to make yourself out to be larger bigger than life even if it wasn't so because vision replaces vision. Desolation envisions this. She used to laugh louder than any mountain lion exhaling a sound like a. My other echoing the colors of roses deep red radiant vitalizing a life force of nothing but beauty. Visually she would spend hours / nights channeling in between lotuses getting lost with Alice having tea with a white rabbit swimming against the hands of the clock ticking towards something, anything more than this. She used to believe in love. The purity of an unborn as the lines in palms will align themselves with every touch between man and woman between love and love feeling the butterflies being born.

Julissa Rodriguez is a poet / visual artist and tattoo artist. She exhibits her work throughout the country.

Julissa

Mitchyll

2014

Photogravure w/Chine-Colle and silkscreen, 11in x 14in.

Mitchyll Mora is an activist and community organizer bringing visibility to the Queer Trans Community of Color who are currently in the prison system.

Mitchyll

Yves

2014

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle, 11in x 14in

Yves B. Golden is a New York city based writer, poet, DJ and model.

Jamal

Sassy

2014

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle, 11in x 14in

Sashkya Arce is a New York City based arts educator and artist.

Sassy

Vivian

2014

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Vivan Crockett is an art historian and curator.

Vivian

Mireya

2014

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Mireya Piedra is a New York city based artist

Mireya

Erica

2014

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Erica is a healthcare educator for the Trans community in Puerto Rico.

Erica

Marin

2014

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Marin Watts is Queer artist and media maker. A Social justice warrior currently working for Trans Justice Funding Project.

Marin

Kathy

2014

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Kathy Rodriguez is an educator for the NYC charter schools.

Sidra

2014

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Sidra Greene is a New York City based artist and photographer.

Tamara

2014

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Tamara Oyola Santiago works in the wellness and health sector.

Abdool

2014

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Abdool Corlette is a New York City based filmmaker currently working on a video project involving queer men of color and their dating experience.

Jairo

2014

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Jairo D'Cano is a New York City artist

Gerardo

2014

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Gerardo Romo is an LGBTQ Legal intern for The Bronx Defenders. He is currently studying at NYU Law.

Eric

2014

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle, 11in x14in

Eric Trujillo is an outspoken HIV Positive advocate. He lives and preaches against the stigma of HIV positive men within the gay community.

Herculano

2013

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Andrew

2013

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Christian

2013

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Giselle

2012

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Bruce Tenzin

2012

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Bruce Morrow & Tenzin Gund-Morrow

Kenny

2012

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Shane

2012

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Shane Ballard is a New York City based artist and costume designer.

Kim

2012

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Lola

2012

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle, 11in x 14in

Lola Flash is a New York City based artist / photographer.

Walid

2011

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Zach

2011

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Matsuda

2011

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Hiroshi

2011

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Gabriel

2011

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Sterling

2011

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Andy

2011

Photogravure w/ Chine-Colle, 11in x 14in

QUEER ICONS

Jose

Syracuse Queer Icons

Castro, Bayani & Candy

Melonie & Melorra

Dorian

Alan

Caleb

Ezak

Gabriela

Panda Dulce

Fei Hernandez

Louie Ortiz-Fonseca

Ericka

Brother(hood) Dance

Jamal

Kia

Ignacio

Jennicet

Haddie

Rev. Freda

Carlos & Fernando

Laura Luna

Kay

Sonia

Emanuel

Bakar

Julissa

Mitchyll

Yves

Sassy

Vivian

Mireya

Erica

Marin

Kathy

Sidra

Tamara

Abdool

Jairo

Gerardo

Eric

Herculano

Andrew

Christian

Giselle

Bruce Tenzin

Kenny

Shane

Kim

Lola

Walid

Zach

Matsuda

Hiroshi

Gabriel

Sterling

Andy