Mickalene Thomas

Queer culture and the arts would be much poorer without the presence and contribution of butch and stud lesbians, whose identity is both its own aesthetic and a defiant repudiation of the male gaze.

Do I Look Like a Lady? (Comedians and Singers) presents a dynamic checkerboard of moving image footage featuring African-American actors and singers from across the 20th century: from Jackie “Moms” Mabley to Eartha Kitt, Whoopi Goldberg, Whitney Houston, and several others. The video focuses on their individual voices as they express heartbreaking roles, pointed lyrics, sharp jokes, and strong statements of resistance to the dominant culture. The work is a powerful, and often riotous, reflection on the roles of black women in the United States.

African-American painter Mickalene Thomas pays tribute to the life and longings of her mother and muse Sandra Bush in this documentary short. A former runway model with a poignant backstory filled with dreams, regrets and redemption, Sandra is the focus of this emotional portrait for her New York-based artist-daughter Mickalene, for whom she serves as a model and inspiration.