in plain sight: portraits of queer aging

you deserve to be seen.

A portrait + storytelling project centering LGBTQ+ adults ages 40–99

You deserve to be seen. Not despite your years, because of them. Queer culture often celebrates youth, but real depth, real beauty, lives in the faces, bodies, and stories of queer midlife and after.

In Plain Sight is a fine-art portrait and oral history project honoring LGBTQ+ adults ages 40–99 whose experiences rarely receive the visibility they deserve. It’s a love letter to the decades you’ve lived, the identities you’ve grown into, the resiliency you’ve earned, and the light you carry. And now, I’m inviting a diverse group of participants to join me in creating this work.

If that call stirs something in you, I hope you’ll keep reading.

What is the in plain sight exhibition project?

In Plain Sight is a series of intimate studio portraits paired with recorded personal conversations.

Together, they create a beautifully human archive of queer aging, one built on tenderness, honesty, humor, courage, and lived experience.

Participants will be featured in:

  • A fine-art portrait series

  • An online gallery

  • A future exhibition and a possible book

  • Hopefully, an accompanying article in a national queer-centered magazine

This project is about visibility. About nuance. About honoring lives that have texture and history and heart.

Who is eligible to participate in the In Plain Sight Exhibition?

LGBTQ+ adults ages 40–99 of all races, genders, body types, backgrounds, abilities, and experiences.

I’m seeking a truly diverse group of participants.

If you are:

  • trans or nonbinary

  • queer or questioning

  • a person of color

  • disabled or chronically ill

  • rural or suburban

  • a parent, caretaker, artist, activist, elder, or late bloomer

  • someone whose story rarely gets told

Your voice is welcome here.

Your story matters here.

You do not need to feel “photogenic.”

You do not need to have a dramatic life story.

You only need to be willing to show up as yourself.

The experience

Your session is slow, gentle, and collaborative. There is no performance here, only presence. I’ll guide you with care through the entire experience. You don’t need to “prepare” yourself. You don’t need to “fix” anything about your appearance. You don’t need to show up confident. Bring your humanity. That’s all that’s required.

What you will receive

  • A free, intentional, art-forward portrait session in my Denver studio

  • A tender, guided, recorded conversation about your life

  • A selection of final edited portraits to keep

  • An invitation to any exhibitions or gatherings connected to the project

You’ll be part of something that reflects queer midlife with dignity, complexity, and warmth.

Why this project is important

Queer aging is often invisible in media, culture, and even within our own communities. But invisibility is not the same as absence. The truth is: aging queer adults hold vast reservoirs of resilience, beauty, humor, grief, joy, and wisdom.

You’ve lived through eras.

You’ve shaped culture.

You’ve built lives, families, identities, and selves.

Your story deserves a place in our collective memory.

In Plain Sight exists to honor all of that.

If you know a member of the LGBTQIA+ community between 40–99 whose story deserves to be seen, please share this page with them.

Send it to:

  • A queer friend

  • A family member

  • A co-worker

  • A parent or mentor

  • Someone stepping into midlife or beyond with courage

  • Someone who deserves to feel chosen

You might offer them the chance to see themselves in a new way.

How to apply

If you feel drawn to this project, even if you’re nervous, I encourage you to apply.

Fill out the participant questionnaire below

It takes about 10–15 minutes, and your answers help me build a thoughtful, diverse group of voices.

Due to expected interest, not every applicant will be selected; however, every application will be read with care.