One of the main ways I connect my work to my community in a direct and physical manner is through food. A large part of my practice includes hosting and participating in dinner parties and brunches for queer people young and old. The goal is to come together and be fed and nourished, in a space of safety and care. Forming connections and strengthening community around a table in a way not dissimilar to the same space that has been hostile or has rejected many queer people in the past.

the LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project is where I gained clarity and firm direction as an artist. I started participating in the project in 2022 and for the first time in my life felt in a real way what I was told community was meant to feel like. What they were already doing resonated so deeply with my core values and goals and through this project, I learned how to actuate these things into my work and as an artist.

“The project brings together racially, socioeconomically, spiritually, and gender-diverse cohorts of LGBTQ+ young and older adults in the Chicagoland area for dialogues, collaborative creative work, and shared dinners. We wanted to explore what would happen if members of these different generations—who rarely interact—were brought together repeatedly over a sustained period of time.” (taken from the LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project’s website)