‘A perspective of queerness’: Life drawing event supports queer artists

Lelia Contee, Contributing Writer

Queer Life Drawing, a figure drawing event, debuts on Wednesday, Feb. 28 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m at Gold Lion Community Cafe and will give attendees a chance to meet artists, models and to be creative in a fun place, according to the event’s page.

RVA Thriving Artists, a nonprofit organization that aims to bring resources to local artists and connect artists with the community, hosts the event, according to the event’s page. Attendees will be required to bring their art supplies to the event and can draw the featured models; queer couple Qing Blaze and Jo’rie Tigerlily. 

The event has a suggested donation of $10 at the door which will go towards paying the models and fundraising for the “Color Theory: The Richmond Queer Art Experience,” an exhibition and gallery show at Art Works, Inc., where people can purchase the art of LGBTQ+ artists, according to Chris Schoen, the community engagement manager at Art Works and the program administrator at RVA Thriving Artists. 

“I felt like doing a queer figure drawing class as a fundraiser was the perfect opportunity for us to both get to know more of the queer artists,” Schoen said.

All artists are welcome to join, even if they only draw stick figures, Schoen said. They believe events like this will foster community amongst artists and may inspire others to start their own collective. 

Schoen stresses the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in art, they said. 

Once upon a time, LGBTQ+ artists had to code their art to fit into heteronormative culture, now, they’ve come to a place where coding isn’t necessary because it’s the beginning of new art paradigms, Schoen said.

“To use queerness as the subject of your art, I think that’s really cool and somewhat unique,” Schoen said. “With this, it’s like you get to attack the art from a perspective of queerness.”

This event is not just about art, but a step towards normalizing how people can love in different ways, said Qing Blaze, a multifaceted artist and featured model at the event.

“When you think about what love is, when you’re thinking about Valentine’s Day, I think that still a very hetero cis-gendered couple normally comes to mind,” said Blaze. “I think it’s really cool that we were invited to do it because we are not.” 

He not only recognizes the importance of LGBTQ+ representation but also the importance of highlighting Black LGBTQ+ representation in these spaces, especially during Black History Month, Blaze said.

“We are Black, and I think that’s another thing that sometimes when you do see queer representation it often is not in celebration of Blackness also,” Blaze said. 

Jo’rie Tigerlily, a creative artist and model featured at the event, said she is excited and looking forward to seeing how people’s artwork turns out. 

“Sitting and posing for figure drawing is not easy work; you’re working whether you are clothed or unclothed,” Tigerlily said. “But it’s very rewarding in the end to see what people are able to capture from their different vantage points.” 

While Richmond has a lot of opportunities for people to express themselves, there is still conservatism that they still deal with, Tigerlily said. There’s hope that showcasing LGBTQ+ love gives people the chance to be more free.

“Despite whatever bubblings of adversity might pop up,” Tigerlily said. “This is a place where people can be supported and be loved and be safe and have community and be able to find their family chosen or otherwise, and this event is a perfect place to potentially meet those people.”