From the depths of the archive, a couple of quick phone snaps of some large C-prints I just unearthed when unpacking boxes. Chicago’s annual Women’s Day Dance was an exuberant event where the female queer community got to step out in style and have a ball – in a downtown swanky hotel.

This is a tradition that didn’t survive, as far as I know. These portraits were shot in 1999 or 2000, and the last mention in the Windy City Times refers to a dance in 2003. Also found in the pile of 11″x14″ Ilford and Kodak boxes: My b&w series of “Aliens” from around the same period, when I spent quite a bit of time documenting South Asian and Latino queer groups. Let me see what I can do with those.