Qu’art, the queer art and entertainment organization founded by famed drag artist and activist Maxi Glamour, is partnering with Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis for the second annual Black Friday Ball on November 27.
The virtual event, most of which will be live-streamed from the museum, highlights Black queer art, culture, and society. Running from 6–8 p.m. via Twitch, the event will include a panel discussion, art show, and a drag show culminating with a vogue ball competition.
Maxi Glamour, who was a contestant on Boulet Brothers Dragula last year, explains the appeal of hosting the event at the museum: “Museums, in general, aren’t as underground or rambunctious as they should be. It’s rare for Black queer artists to be in museums. I’m hoping to restructure the institutional art scene, making it palatable for radical queerness. CAM offers a higher platform.”
The panel discussion will include Phillipe Cunningham, a Minneapolis City Councilman who is the first out trans man of color elected to public office in the United States; Kayla Reed, executive director of Action St. Louis, a grassroots organization that fights for Black liberation from a feminist lens; and The Vixen, a former contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race and the producer of Black Girl Magic, an all-Black drag show mixing politics with drag.
Maxi says they’re going for escapism with the drag show, featuring talent from as far away as Paris. The Vogue Ball competition will highlight our vibrant local scene, and Commentator Meko Lee Burr is the voice of that scene. Think Billy Porter’s role in Pose, or the emcee in Drake’s “Nice for What,” but so much more. Burr is sensational, and his hypnotic chants electrify and become the very pulse of the room.
Burr explains the role of the commentator in the ballroom community: “They are the journalist, the historian, the gatekeeper, the sergeant at arms. They keep drama low by controlling the audience.” And he says our city’s best performers are ready to work the runway and vogue after a year of canceled balls.
This virtual event is a great opportunity to preview what this brilliant community has to offer, while hopefully inspiring you to experience their talents firsthand when the world reopens.
