“Miss/They Camaraderie 2024” is an upcoming exhibition that promises to be an immersive experience to make audiences think about their assumptions of beauty by exploring the realm of Black beauty pageants and drag performance.
The exhibit, curated by Yashi Davalos, runs Jan. 19 to March 2 at the Charlotte Street Foundation, 3333 Wyoming St., KCMO.
“I know that these things are kind of separate in Kansas City, so the programming that I have developed through Charlotte Street will host a space to reflect on this intersection and see what that looks like here when it is given space,” says Davalos.
Upon entering the gallery space, there are printed and framed archival images from Black beauty pageants in KC.
There will be images from the Delta Sprites Pageant from the 1970s, which was a popular KCl Black teen pageant that was hosted at Lincoln High. Exhibit goers will also find archival magazine covers — like famous images from the drag revenue program “Jewel Box” — and other Black pageants put on by local groups.
“After engaging with the works, I want the first thing you’re questioning to be who is the star in this situation,” says Davalos. “We’re addressing Black excellence but from a different social strata.”
As the exhibit continues, the archival images are intermixed with works from local Black artists. These are works of editorial realism, meaning they look like they come from the same time as the archival images but were made in the present day.
Nasir Montalvo is a local archivist who is working to create the first Black queer archive in KC. Montalvo’s curated images are featured toward the back of the exhibit, interspersed with works of editorial queer photography from John Brandt. Throughout the exhibit, there are sculptures, photos, video projections, interactive props, and even a large-scale holographic image.
“I want people to show up with the expectation that they can be beautiful for better or for worse,” says Davalos. “I want them to leave questioning: what is better and what is worse?”
Featured Artists:
- Boi Boy (KCMO)
- John Brant (KCMO)
- Delaney George (Los Angeles)
- Jackob Graves (KCMO)
- Nasir Anthony Montalvo (KCMO)
- Sun Young Park (KCMO)
- Trenity Thomas (New Orleans)
Program Highlights:
Exhibition Opening Reception
Jan. 19, 6 – 9 p.m. at Charlotte Street Gallery
Opening night, the curator will be present interacting with guests in costume as the former pageant winner there to crown the next winner.
Miss/They Camaraderie 2024 Pageant
Feb. 9, 6 – 8 p.m. at Charlotte Street Gallery
A satirical pageant performance featuring drag artists Boi Boy, Korea Kelly, and Alej Martinez, who will debut specially commissioned garments by Dustin Loveland in a popup runway, then engage in a panel on world peace that culminates with the crowning of a local contestant.
Artist Talk
March 1, 6 – 7 p.m. at Kemper Library at Charlotte Street Foundation
Hear from curator Yashi Davalos as she explores the social agenda for standardizing beauty and femininity.
