THE ART OF DRAG
THE ART OF DRAG
July 5 – August 25, 2024 | A.N. BUSH GALLERY
OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, JULY 5 FROM 5:30 – 7:30 P.M., WELCOME AND ARTIST INTRODUCTIONS AT 6:00 P.M.
Co-curated by Jessica Rehfield-Griffith and Lead Consultant RiRi Calienté of the House of Calienté
Special Event: Drag ART Soirée, July 12 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
With blessings from Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and performances with Juno and Sterling Ray MacPherson
Conversations With A Drag Queen: Special Performances w/Q&A Follow-Up
Galería A.N. Bush
July 26, 6:30 – 7:30 PM: Henny
August 9, 6:30 – 7:30 PM: Olivia Obscene
August 23, 6:30 – 7:30 PM: Kimberly Michelle Westwood
Come one, come all! This house is ready for you to shake it down!!! Join us in Summer 2024 for The Art of Drag!
Come learn something you didn’t know about Drag! Featuring performances in the exhibition space in A.N. Bush Gallery on July 26, August 9, and August 23 and focused interviews that highlight local drag artists’ individual paths to becoming a drag professional. Join us this summer to learn from many community members who contributed their vision and inspiration to produce this stunning exhibition.
This exhibition shares the creation and the performance of Drag, with featured interviews and confessionals by drag professionals and performances from the rich drag ecology of the Willamette Valley region and beyond! The two-month exhibition at Salem Art Association shares the art, humor and making that goes into the production of drag with wigs, costumes, informational displays, timelines of drag history and featured performers and organizations that support and celebrate drag across the Willamette Valley region! A Drag Art Soirée will kick this exhibit into overdrive, with a following drag show at Southside Speakeasy (21 and over) July 12.
Witness the magic of The Art of Drag, break a lash and walk a mile in our heels at Salem Art Association July 5 – August 25, 2024!
Publicity
Salem Reporter
Salem drag community celebrates art, history at new exhibit – by Abbey McDonald on July 11, 2024.
Capital Community Media
InSight- The Art of Drag. Jun 21, 2024. – With Wendy Brokaw.
Drag Spotlights
The Art of Drag, July 5 – August 25, 2024 Salem Art Association
Lylac
“Drag as an artform has changed my life completely. As a Queer Mexican, growing up in Salem wasn’t always easy but when I discovered drag at the age of 18 my world exploded. I saw a whole new light in the world. Drag allowed me to express my inner-most creativity and femininity in a way I never thought possible. Through drag, I’ve seen so much joy and love from people from all over and it means so much to me in ways I can’t even begin to explain. I’m so lucky that in drag, I get to become a superstar every weekend and inspire future entertainers and queer individuals to live to the fullest.”
RiRi Calienté
“ I grew up a child of the theatre and after nearly 25 years of life on the boards there came a point when it was time to shift creative outlets – enter Drag!
I began Drag for a change of ‘scenery’ but I also made a promise to my childhood best friend, Dwayne. In 2003 I lost my bestie to HIV and on his deathbed he made me promise to pursue Drag because he swore I was “born to do it.” Fast forward 9 years to 2012 and it was time to put on the heels and hair and make good on this promise. It honestly didn’t take long for me to fall in love with drag and begin my relationship with this ever changing art form.
Drag has taught me volumes about myself, healed old wounds, opened doors I never thought could be, and established lifelong friendships with the local Drag Queens who continue to inspire me today just as they did 12 years ago. Being a Drag entertainer over the years has taught me whole new levels of patience, tolerance and compassion. I’ve used the art of Drag to educate, entertain and inspire! And for a legally blind, Mexican American, queer boy from a tiny town, drag means freedom, freedom to be me in every way possible and hopefully give someone that same level of freedom one day, one lash at a time!”
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