Photographer captures the art of drag

By Michelle Murphy

At a university as notoriously liberal as Rush Limbaugh, the only context in which the word "drag" seems unsurprising, is in reference to students' lethargy after a long night of studying. It is for just this reason that this weekend's self proclaimed and administratively supported drag show is, for many, a welcome and much appreciated event.

The show, sponsored and planned by the two gay activist community groups on campus, intends to not only entertain, but also educate students about Santa Clara's present and widely unrecognized gay community.

"The queer community on this campus is relatively closeted and invisible," said senior Claire Riecke, producer of and performer in the show. "The drag show is our opportunity to be seen."

And seen drag will be, as any of you who've been in Benson this week may have noticed, not only in the show, but before it as well, thanks to student Katie Thies. This busy, enthusiastic senior theatre, dance and studio art major collaborated with Riecke and put together a fairly last minute, striking form of publicity for the upcoming event. Their brainchild? A sensational photography exhibit that will remain posted for viewing until the 3rd Annual Drag Show debuts in the Brass Rail this Saturday evening.

Thies says she came up with the idea during a GASPED (drag show sponsor) meeting earlier this quarter when Riecke and other members were brainstorming ways to publicize the event.

"I thought it would be nice to tie in another artistic medium to the event," said Thies. "Then the project took off with a mind of its own, and it evolved into a way to educate people about drag."

Judging from the outpouring of interest in the photos, Thies' goals of publicity and education seem to be paying huge dividends. If you've been in Benson at all this week, you're likely to have taken a look at some of these photos, and if you haven't checked them out yourself, you've most certainly seen others doing so.

Each of the photos is a 16" by 20" black and white print, spotlighting a Santa Clara student or faculty member. The subject is identified only by his or her drag name.

Thies says that each one of the subjects volunteered to be photographed when they heard about the project, and although all of the subjects had dressed in drag before, not all of them are gay, which Thies cites as a "fairly common misconception."

Apparently, not all drag performers are homosexual, which just goes to show you how much many students (including myself) need this exhibit to educate them about the finer points of drag-dom.

Thies found the task of shooting and displaying these photographic works quite daunting (modestly quipping "because I know I'm still a student and have a lot to learn"). However, she found both the process and the result very rewarding, because, after all, "I think we always have a lot to learn." This experience gave her, and the rest of the student body an opportunity to learn and grow.

As wonderful as education on controversial and important issues is, luckily for us, this learning experience is quite fun as well. Thies, a lover of cheese and self-proclaimed klutz whose goals in life are to live on a one way street and ride a zamboni (though not necessarily at the same time), is clearly just as fun-loving as the rest of our student population, and this free-spirited artist really lets that personality shine through in her work.

You can certainly tell she had fun with this project, and despite the strong and important mission of her photography, she doesn't let her message overshadow the means. She truly allows the fun and the intrigue of the drag world shine through, while only softly, unpretentiously, highlighting the pain that can come from her subjects' often misunderstood choice.

Although she isn't sure when she'll actually get around to it (and with three majors, who can blame her?), Thies looks forward to continuing with this project. She says she'd love to add more diversity, especially with regard to age, to her work, and that she'd love to document the transformation into drag.

Essentially, having learned so much during this process, although it's not at the top of her long "to do" list (perhaps it falls somewhere before the zamboni, but after her next block of cheddar) this isn't something Thies wants to give up for good.

With her impending graduation, Thies' continuation is something that we might not all be privy to, but for now, we can relish and enjoy what may only be the beginning of an extensive quest. And who knows... if we actually stop and look and read and think, we might actually learn something in the process.

Katie Thies' Drag Photography Exhibit can be viewed at Benson until November 15th.

The 3rd Annual Drag Show performance (sponsored by GASPED) is Saturday, November 15th at 11 p.m. in the Brass Rail.

Contact Michelle Murphy at (408) 554-4546 or at mdmurphy@scu.edu.