A retrospective of drag was recently presented with great aplomb at Culture Lab LIC. Queens: The Art of Drag & NYC featured an array of artists deeply embedded in the glorious culture of drag. Honoring its rich history through performance, fashion, music, makeup, design, and more, the essence of this multifaceted experience was distilled through celebratory expressions of artistry, beauty, community, and resilience.
Highlighted through robust programming that underscored its enduring legacy and continuity of inspiration, Queens: The Art of Drag & NYC was curated by Tess Howsam and Parker Phillips. The exhibition showcased live art and works that paid homage to the significant legacy of drag through joy, creativity, and exuberance that has been so meaningful and influential to so many of us. The following is an interview with co-curator Tess Howsam, in which we unpacked the inner workings of the exhibition.
YA: Queens: The Art of Drag & NYC is an exhibition depicting significant material culture from the drag and queer community in Queens. How did this project originate, and what was entailed to bring it to fruition?
TH: We have many talented drag performers and designers in Queens. This exhibition showcases them alongside drag stars from every borough. The project started while watching a drag show and thinking about how extraordinary the garments are. These outfits do more than walk the runway; they transform, break apart, etc. NYC has also seen a growing audience and presentation of fashion as art in many museum spaces (currently Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses, Brooklyn Museum). It felt surprising to me that we haven’t seen more exhibitions dedicated to the incredible artistic work created for and by drag performers! It was also important that the history of drag and its contribution to NYC culture be included as well. The show took root there as a concept and a passion, but expanded as I brought on co-curator Parker Phillips, who brought in a focus on ballroom and nightlife. Together, Parker and I attended the 2026 Glam Awards. (On January 19, 2026, the 2026 Glam Awards took place at the historic Sony Hall in New York City. Hosted by drag icon Alaska Thunderfuck, it was co-organized and presented by nightlife producer Cherry Jubilee and Impulse Group NYC.) Seeing the artistry and community reinforced our mission to make this exhibition. However, it is really thanks to the incredible designers and artists who said yes when we emailed them that this exhibition was made. Many of the designs on display had to be tracked down and borrowed from the queens’ closets and needed to be items they would not need until the show closed. One of the garments came straight from Broadway after being worn by Suzie Toot during Cats: The Jellicle Ball. In short, this exhibition was created through a collective effort, echoing the communal ethos that has long defined both the queer community and the practice of drag.
YA: New York City has such a rich history of LGBTQ+ activism and culture. How is it continuing the legacy and acts of resistance and celebration of these stories?
TH: Queer culture has a long history of resilience and political activism. We see a renewed political vitriol against the queer community and targeting Drag in particular. At Culture Lab LIC, it is important that our exhibition season includes work that expands our understanding of what art is and who is represented within cultural institutions. Presenting drag within a gallery setting when LGBTQ+ communities continue to face political attacks and attempts at erasure is an affirmation that queer stories, histories, and artistic contributions deserve to be preserved, championed, and celebrated. As the Artistic Director of Culture Lab LIC, I see it as both a responsibility and an honor to create a space where all voices can be seen, heard, and represented. We cannot underestimate the power of institutional support, especially during a time when our government continues to try to control the narrative. I hope this exhibit will encourage other spaces and institutions to do the same. To remind those in leadership that they are telling a narrative by the artists they put on their walls and on their stages.
YA: Who are the artists in the exhibition, and what was the selection process like? What were the defining factors of curating this exhibition?
TH: The selection process was done through an open call. Artists and performers submitted work they felt aligned with the theme. This was then reviewed by the exhibition committee, with Parker and I making the final selection. Beyond that, it was through collaboration with the designers that we worked together to choose the final pieces and facilitate their presentation. Pierretta Viktori in particular was a close collaborator of mine on this project and for whom I am eternally grateful. Also, the works on display by Pinwheel Pinwheel are never before seen and were created specifically for this exhibition! Their dedication to this project and joy in presenting new work is inspiring. The exhibition features works by Benjy Bradshaw, Photo Chase, Daniel Roa, DD Fuego, Dimitri Saari, Hugáceo Crujiente, Jianing Zhao, Jinistar Ko, Kai Andrews, Kayden Michael, Lauren Hovland, Leyda Luz, Mark Minton, Matt Cauley, Matteo Lambert, Megan Green, Miz. Cracker, Pierretta Viktori, Pinwheel Pinwheel, Rachel Rampleman, Ten Yards, and Timothy French.
YA: What else would you like readers to know?
TH: I hope visitors leave with a greater understanding of drag not only as entertainment, but as a powerful artistic practice and cultural force. This exhibition celebrates the profound impact that queer artists have had on shaping New York City’s creative identity and the broader cultural landscape. I hope viewers will come and support the show. Community continues to be irreplaceable and a vital element to any art show, but in particular this one. On a personal level, watching drag queens be bold, beautiful, funny, flawless, and fierce encouraged me to embrace my own queer womanhood fully. It may sound corny, but it’s true. As a pansexual woman, it’s easy to feel out of place at times. Watching drag performers unapologetically take up space, celebrate themselves, and refuse to shrink gave me permission to do the same. Regardless of your gender identity, I challenge you to try it. The next time you’re feeling nervous or insecure, ask yourself: “What would a drag queen do?”
Queens: The Art of Drag & NYC is on view through August 2, 2026. Images courtesy of Sean Perreira, (@seanpurrr) Charlie Silver @charliesilverstudios and Culture Lab LIC (@culturelablic)
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About the Curators: Tess Howsam is the Artistic Director of Culture Lab LIC and an accomplished international curator and director with over a decade of experience contributing to New York City’s artistic landscape. Known for her innovative approach and cross-disciplinary collaborations, Howsam’s work explores themes of gender, audience engagement, and global artistic dialogues. Howsam’s theatrical work has earned her a New York Times Critic’s Pick and a feature in New Yorker Magazine. She was the recipient of The League of Professional Theatre Women’s Lucille Lortel Award in 2023. As Artistic Director, Howsam has spearheaded numerous exhibitions at Culture Lab LIC that walk the line of performative and visual. Highlights include “Instrumental: A Retrospective on the Life & Work of Ken Butler” (2024), “Luminous: The Art of Neon” (2023), and The Inevitability of Absence (2023), presented alongside “The Incomplete Collection” by Linked Dance Theatre, bridging visual and performing arts. A passionate advocate for international dialogue, Howsam began building Culture Lab LIC’s international fine art exchange programming in 2023, presenting Fever Genesis, an exhibition from the Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB). Howsam expanded by co-curating “The Search for Utopia” (2024) with Slovakian art center Malý Berlín. That same year, she served as a jury member for “Artiade: The Olympics of Art” in Basel, Switzerland. Recently, Howsam’s work championing the LGBTQ+ community was recognized with a Citation of Honor from Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. Howsam is committed to ensuring that each exhibition season includes work that expands the assumption of what is art and questions who gets represented within cultural institutions. Queens: The Art of Drag & NYC offers fans, artists, and those new to drag an opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation for the immense creativity, collaboration, craftsmanship, and talent that not only defines the art form, but plays a huge cultural impact on NYC and beyond.
For the past 15 years, Parker Phillips has built a career at the crossroads of music, fashion, and culture, becoming a recognizable force within New York City’s creative community. From runways and artist showcases to queer nightlife and live entertainment, his work has consistently centered on elevating emerging talent and creating spaces where artistry and self-expression can thrive. As the founder and creative director of Parker Phillips LLC, an independent entertainment and music company, Parker produces live experiences that blend music, fashion, drag, visual art, and storytelling. Through the company, he has curated events and collaborations across New York, Los Angeles, and Provincetown, partnering with artists, brands, and cultural institutions to celebrate creativity and community. In 2026, Parker expanded his creative work into the gallery space as co-curator of Queens: The Art of Drag and NYC at Culture Lab LIC, a two-month exhibition celebrating the artistry, history, and cultural impact of New York City’s drag community. The exhibition brings together photography, fashion, performance, and archival storytelling, preserving the legacy of queer nightlife while spotlighting the artists shaping its future.
@Tess_Howsam @ParkerPhillipsLLC (@culturelablic) @kleopatronbk @tunameltdrag @ddfuego @essence.nyc @86cherrycherry
About the writer: Yasmeen Abdallah is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and writer. She has been an artist/educator/lecturer at institutions including the New Museum, Pratt Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, Residency Unlimited, BRIC, Kean University, Parsons, Civic Art Lab, Creative Time, Columbia University, Children’s Museum of NYC, El Barrio Artspace, Interference Archive, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and University of Massachusetts. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and in Studio Art, with honors from the University of Massachusetts. Abdallah also earned an MFA in Fine Arts, with distinction, from Pratt Institute. Exhibitions include ABC No Rio; Ankhlave Arts Alliance; Art in Odd Places; Bartow-Pell Museum; the Boiler; Bronx Art Space; Bullet Space; Chashama; Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center; Cornell University; Darb 1718 Gallery; Ed Varie; Elizabeth Foundation; The Factory LIC; Fairleigh Dickinson University; Flux Factory; IW Gallery; Kean University; La Bodega; Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space; NARS Foundation; Nine; Open Source; Peep Space; Pratt Institute; PS122 Gallery; Red Hook Public Library; Satellite Art Fair; Space 776; Spring Break Art Show; Stephen St. Gallery; Swale; 601 Artspace; Tappeto Volante; Tempest; Trestle; University of Massachusetts; Westbeth Gallery; Whitebox; and Yonkers Public Library, among others. Publications include Anthropology of Consciousness; Ante Art; Art Observed; Bust Magazine; Emergency Index; Free City Radio; Hot Coffee Conversations; Hyperallergic; Impulse; Papergirl Brooklyn; Radio Alhara; Transborder Art; Tussle Magazine; and Urban Activist. Her work is in public, private, and traveling collections in the U.S. and abroad.
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