Roger Brown Artist-in-Residence *2026
This residency will be an integral chapter in a larger, evolving narrative.
Queer Topographies
My project will integrate painting and loom-based textile work to investigate the intersections of queer identity and Midwestern landscapes. Using naturally sourced pigments, found organic materials (sticks, fibers, feathers, clay, rocks), and unnatural remnants (litter, E-waste), I will weave together visual narratives that speak to place, memory, and queerness. Some pieces may take inspiration from the natural topography of New Buffalo, while others may emerge as abstracted representations of internal landscapes—moments of nostalgia, longing, and belonging.
My work in this residency will also be a meditation on the interwoven nature of identity and geography, considering the ways in which queerness manifests in rural and urban Midwestern spaces. Inspired by Roger Brown’s documentation of gay cruising culture in the 1980s, I will reflect on my own experiences as a trans non-binary artist and my relationship with my partner, Charlie—an artist and writer—drawing connections between our creative dynamic and that of Brown and George Veronda. Through painting, weaving, and mixed-media experimentation, I hope to create a body of work that encapsulates the fluidity and resilience of queer existence in the Midwest.
The Roger Brown Studio and Guest House holds personal significance for me as both an artist and a Midwesterner. Having spent summers traveling throughout Michigan—from Chicago to Baldwin—and attending college in Kalamazoo, I have always been drawn to the region’s landscapes and histories. The residency’s setting in New Buffalo offers a unique opportunity to engage with a place that has long shaped my sense of self and artistic practice.
Moreover, the legacy of Roger Brown and George Veronda resonates with me deeply—not just in their contributions to art and architecture, but in their shared creative life as a queer couple. As someone in a queer artistic relationship, I see this residency as a space to honor and expand upon that lineage, using my own mediums and methodologies. Just as Brown embraced his surroundings and used them to inform his work, I plan to do the same—through material, memory, and mark-making.
This residency presents an invaluable opportunity to deepen my artistic practice within a space that holds both historical and personal meaning. By weaving together elements of painting, textile work, and found materials, I hope to create work that embodies the layered, interwoven nature of queerness in the Midwest. Roger Brown’s legacy as an artist and documentarian of queer culture serves as a guiding force, and I look forward to engaging with this history while contributing my own voice to its ongoing dialogue. Immersing myself in the New Buffalo landscape will allow me to reflect on my relationship with the Midwest as both home and muse—ultimately shaping a body of work that is as textured, fluid, and resonant as the identities it seeks to represent.