Holy Mother, What is That: Drag as Art, Community Performance, and Activism

Session Description:

Drag represents quintessential performance art. It combines the imaginative spirit of identity formation with the creative use of stage makeup and costuming to produce personas capable of engaging audiences in provocative yet meaningful ways. Join a panel of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as they discuss drag activism in the current political climate of anti-DEI. In this workshop, participants will watch a Sister transform into face and learn about the process of creating a drag persona’s look and character. We will discuss how parody and satire can be harnessed to promote social justice issues. The Sisters will share how they fulfill their organizational mission, as well as raise thousands of dollars for charities, through events such as karaoke, trivia nights, bingo, and attending marches and rallies. Discussion will then focus on how community and arts organizations can work with drag performers to engage in more social impact issues without alienating donors. Most importantly, the workshop will cover critical safety measures to consider when engaging with such a provocative art form. Participants will have the opportunity to brainstorm ideas of how they can incorporate art activism into their creative practice and ways of measuring success with their efforts.

Presenters: DC Sisters

As a group of drag nuns, whose national roots date back to the 1970s, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence operate as a nonprofit with the goal of spreading joy and lessening guilt through performance art, parody, and satire. Never one to shy away from controversy, the Sisters embrace the absurd in order to shed light on difficult topics and matters of health, wellness, equity, and justice particularly in the LGBTQ community. Collectively, the Sisters raise tens of thousands of dollars every year through our performance art, donating the money back into community organizations that align with our mission. Our influence has spread in the art world with performers such as Chappel Roan paying homage to the Sisters on stage. The traditional religious community has even acknowledged the power of our presence and message with an invitation by the National Cathedral to speak at their pulpit.