Gender Euphoria: Drag Performance by Hailey Tayathy

Gender Euphoria: Contemporary Art Beyond the Binary is an exhibition of contemporary trans and gender non-conforming artists curated by Becca Owen, an incoming Art History PhD student, for the Five Oaks Museum. The exhibition and programming are all online.

On opening night of Gender Euphoria, Hailey Tayathy will premiere a new drag performance that is shaped by their queer Native identity. Hailey Tayathy (they/them or anything said respectfully) is a member of the Quileute Nation, a fiber and digital artist, and Seattle’s premier Native American drag queen. They aim to bring healing to Indigenous communities and to show everyone that Indigiqueers are still here and are stronger and more beautiful than colonized minds can imagine.

Hailey will live stream a drag performance created for Gender Euphoria, followed by a Q & A with the artist. Hailey’s performance is a Quileute paddle dance with a twist. The dance will be followed by storytelling and performance that recount an alternative telling of a Quileute legend about a rainbow-colored bird and the start of the potlatch tradition. As Hailey writes: “Similar to queer Indigenous people during colonization, the rainbow bird gives up aspects of its beauty to better the lives of its community. However, Quileute stories are full of transformations – so perhaps there’s hope that the rainbow bird will one day get its colors back.” After the performance, audience members are encouraged to ask Hailey about their work!