September 16 – October 18, 2024

Olympia Drag

A Candid Glimpse At Fashion, Art, And Performance- Curated by Garrett Leonard

September 16 – October 18, 2024

Opening reception: Friday, September 20, 6:00 – 7:30 pm

SPSCC and the Leonor R. Fuller Gallery proudly present an immersive contemporary exhibition curated by Garrett Leonard, illustrating drag in art, fashion, and performance. Drag and art have been intertwined for centuries in art, literature, fashion, storytelling and performance. Drag transforms human relations, engages community, and interrogates conventional boundaries. Drag employs costume design, makeup artistry, design, photography, and stage presentation to subvert societal norms and notions of gender as well as explorations of empowerment and the alter-ego. Olympia’s drag community exemplifies these traditions.

Garrett Leonard

Guest Curator

Olympia Drag is beautifully unique and breaks the ideas we have of traditional mainstream drag performers. The Local drag scene in our community has a punk aspect unlike any other, and holds gender norms, no bounds, and has a way of embodying queer performance art in a campy fashion. When I was presented with the idea of a drag-centered gallery exhibition, I was intimidated but excited nonetheless to bring together a group of queer creatives and combine a shared love for art, performance, and drag. I think that goal of curating a unique and beautiful show was achieved as I stood in awe on the night of the opening ceremony and gazed at the crowd of gallery attendees and witnessed the joy that filled the space. What has been achieved, as the exhibition comes to a close, is space provided for local queer artists was the starting point for their work to be seen (some for the first time) in a beautiful gallery. I think the drag show was many attendees’ first time seeing drag performances and I hope it created conversations within community members and peak their interests to go to more shows. Finally, I overcame challenges and my own insecurities that arose during this process, and I think I came out the other side with pride. I want to thank Sean Barnes for his endless support and the wisdom and experience he offered me in the months leading up to the exhibition. To have a finished show that surpassed my own initial vision is a beautiful outcome.