drag is art.

Pictured Above: wet betty (Philadelphia)

Interested in Participating?

Cycle 3 PHILADELPHIA+, 2026

The third full installment of the Drag Arts Oral History Project (DAOHP) will focus on drag artists in Greater Philadelphia and beyond. This cycle will build on the 18 oral histories documented, aiming to reach 30 complete oral histories and to preserve additional stories/perspectives by June 2026.

Individuals interested in engaging with the project can complete an “interest” form in the APPLY section below.

The project has been funded for a third consecutive year by a generous grant from the People’s Media Fund.

Additional strategic planning is underway for the 2026 collection, and efforts to secure further funding to document histories in additional cities and regions across the country are ongoing.

The DAOHP is a project of and produced by Communitas Arts + Culture, LLC (www.communitasac.com).

CALL FOR ARTISTS

SEEKING:

  • Drag performers of all racial/ethnic backgrounds;

  • Various aesthetics/styles/traditions (we are especially interested in hearing from artists whose work defies common artistic categorizations);

  • Queer/Trans/Nonbinary artists;

  • and those whose work may explicitly involve community building, activism, education and other cross-disciplinary connections.

ARTISTS:

  • Must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

  • Must commit to be interviewed on camera (in and/or out of drag) during one 2-3 hour session for full oral history interviews. Additional pathways for artists to engage with the project will be added in 2026. Further events and activities will be scheduled once production is complete. We hope participants will remain engaged throughout the life of the project.

  • Honoraria and design stipends are awarded to each artist for their participation based on available funding. Amounts may fluctuate from project cycle to project cycle and may differ depending on the engagement pathway due to annual funding limits. Amounts will always be shared with artists before confirming an interview or engagement slot.

  • Artists of all backgrounds and abilities are welcome to apply to share their stories. If you have questions/concerns about participation, please get in touch with us so we can work with you to remove any barriers to participating in this project.

  • Please note that, in accordance with practicing our values of cultural equity, we have committed a majority of the narrator positions for each project cycle to be held for Queer/Trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

APPLY

Individuals interested in participating in future oral history project cycles should click here to complete a participant interest form for the 2025/2026 cycle.

The form consists of three sections, including basic contact information, background narrative questions and demographic questions. It should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete based on the length of your responses. We encourage interested artists to be thoughtful with their responses. Since spots are limited based on annual funding, diversity in thought, experience and identity are important factors for our team to consider when casting for a given project cycle.

If you need any support in completing the form or have any questions, please email our team at info@dragartsohp.com and someone will be in touch.

ABOUT ORAL HISTORY

For more information on oral history as a form and practice, we invite you to visit the Oral History Association website.

The Drag Arts OHP is a member of the Oral History Association (OHA) and the National Council for Public History (NCPH).