Queer Latinx Artist Stephanie Mercedes Expresses Pride Through Her Art

STEPHANIE MERCEDES
she/her

Queer Latinx Artist + Podcaster

What Pride means to you
Simultaneously a space for queer joy and queer mourning. Pride for me is normally expressed through my artwork. How can I create spaces for my community to honor those who lost their lives for our liberation? 

Supporting the LGBTQ+ community
Support queer artists. Work to end gun violence. Remember the world is intersectional. 

Your identity-affirming song
I am currently working on producing an opera for 2022-2023 with CulturalDC. I am pulling different pitches and tones from my practice of melting down weapons and transforming them into sculptures and musical instruments. I think the soundscapes I am composing — based in the material practice of turning a negative into a positive — maybe doesn’t affirm my queer identity, but reflects its possibilities. 

@mercedes_theartist // stephaniemercedes.com

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Caroline Cliona Boyle and Bree Rodrigues-Oliveira