Drag artist Mica Sigourney collaborated with other artists and Queer Cultural Center to develop the multidisciplinary production Work More 7! Daughters of a Riot, exploring the important role drag artists play in preserving LGBTQ community traditions and referencing the August 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria riot as a touchstone for its telling of San Francisco’s LGBTQ history. Since its first appearance in San Francisco almost 75 years ago, drag performance has established itself as the gay community’s most visible traditional art form. Mastery of its individual components is passed down from one generation to the next and one artist to another. Often novices are adopted into “houses” where a group of expert queens influences the birth of a new “daughter.” Over time, the houses have evolved their own performance styles and aesthetics.
Mica Sigourney (aka VivvyAnne ForeverMORE!) is a member of the House of MORE!, where he learned his techniques for applying make-up, styling wigs, creating costumes, and performing from San Francisco drag legends JuanitaMORE! and GlamaMORE! Sigourney’s drag pageant — Tiara Sensation — is annually presented at the de Young Museum, and he regularly hosts citywide events. He developed Daughters of a Riot through research and in collaboration with LOL McFiercen, Dulce De Leche, and Honey Mahogany, well-known San Francisco drag queens, selected for their leadership within the drag community, and their affiliations with different houses. Also performing were Kitty Von Quim, Qween/Travis Santell Rowland, Phatima Rude, trixxie carr, and Bobby Barnaby/Selma Bawdy (the choreographer). Aron Kantor (Dirty Glitter) produced the accompanying video.
The Queer Cultural Center is a community-building organization that promotes the artistic and economic evolution of queer art and culture. Over the last 18 years, it has presented more than 2,000 artists during its annual National Queer Arts Festival.