Drag Explodes into the Mainstream in Unprecedented Photography Exhibition

Legends of Drag: Portraits by Harry James Hanson and Devin Antheus opens May 27

WEST BEND, Wis., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) presents Legends of Drag: Portraits by Harry James Hanson and Devin Antheus on view during Pride Month and beyond. The exhibition showcases drag elders instrumental in securing rights for today's queer community and championing the art of drag.

The exhibition is on view May 27–August 21, 2022 at the museum's downtown Milwaukee satellite location, MOWA | DTN. An opening reception will be held on Friday, May 27, 6:00–8:00. Find a list of related exhibition activities at wisconsinart.org/exhibitions/legends-of-drag

Artists Harry James Hanson and Devin Antheus, who grew up in the Milwaukee area, traveled coast-to-coast over four years, visiting sixteen cities to meet and photograph the legendary entertainers featured in the exhibition. Hanson and Antheus produced stunning portraits of eighty-one queens shot on location and styled with unique floral elements. While drag portraiture commonly situates performers on stage or in the studio, Legends of Drag spotlights their embodied divinity out on the street. Each photograph is a collaboration between artists and model, who jointly selected the location, styling, and blooms. Twenty-three portraits will be on display, including Midwest queens: JoJo Baby, Christina Chase, BJ Daniels, Shannon Dupree, Ruthie Keester, The Sugarbaker Twins, and Karen Valentine.

"Legends of Drag is colorful, celebratory, and revelatory—sublime camp in keeping with the subject," said MOWA Executive Director Laurie Winters. "MOWA is delighted to debut this unprecedented body of photography and to give these artists their first museum exhibition anywhere. It will certainly not be their last." Their ongoing photography series has already been featured in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone. 

The museum's satellite gallery is located inside Saint Kate—The Arts Hotel in the cultural district of downtown Milwaukee. MOWA | DTN is open to the public daily during hotel lobby hours, 7:00am–Midnight.

MEDIA RESOURCES 
High-resolution artwork images available: 
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2qpz4fvmdveq2a9/AABxhAvaRT7xjzsEh4l9R5A6a?dl=0

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART 
A vital cultural center, the Museum of Wisconsin Art collects and interprets American art through the lens of a single state. MOWA annually welcomes 200,000 visitors, making it a cultural destination for the art and artists of our time. www.wisconsinart.org

SOURCE MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART, INC.