Listen!

A Series of Tintype Portraits in Collaboration with Iowa Transgender Folks

The work presented here centers on visibility, presence, and voice. I invited a group of trans individuals from Iowa to participate in a collaborative portrait project using the wet plate collodion process—an early photographic technique that requires stillness, care, and time. Each participant received a 5x7" photograph as a gift, while their 8x10” portraits anchor this exhibition.

Accompanying the images is a layered soundscape composed of audio recordings contributed by each participant. I invited them to bring a poem, a story, a conversation, or any expression they wished to share. Together, these voices and images stand in quiet but firm resistance—asserting humanity in the face of erasure.

This exhibition emerges in response to an act that occurred on February 28, 2025, when Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill removing gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Set to take effect on July 1, the law will strip transgender Iowans of state-level protections against discrimination in housing, employment, public spaces, and beyond. On August 19, the Iowa City Council unanimously adopted a resolution, reaffirming its commitment to protecting the LGBTQ+ community’s civil rights. The move comes after Republican state lawmakers this year passed a bill that changed the state’s Civil Rights Act (The Gazette). A Daily Iowan article about this show written by Lily Kopp can be found here.

This show has been exhibited at the following galleries:

• Brewhemia Coffe Shop Gallery, Cedar Rapids, IA (March 24-May 15, 2025)

• FreeForm Art Gallery, Fairfield, IA (May 30-July 5, 2025)

• Artifactory Gallery, Iowa City, IA (September 3-30, 2025)