LIFE IS DRAG IS THE LARGEST DIGITAL ARCHIVE OF DRAG IN AMERICA
Drag is a poetic synthesis of painting, sculpture, sound and performance. It is also a form of self-discovery, transformation, permission, resistance, actualization, catharsis, and ultimately - radical self-expression. Drag is ART - and life IS drag. With drag under attack in the United States, we must share these bold, brilliant, and binary pushing performances now, more than ever, to ensure exposure for artists and ease of access for those in communities that are hostile to this vital and important art form.
This project is the life's work of me, Rachel Rampleman. I am a one-person production team - handling all research, curation, communication, lighting, shooting, editing, interviewing, archive building, residency outreach, and more. I've worked with over 200 innovative and singular artists and documented over 350 performances and interviews over the last 5+ years.
As of January-June, 2025, I am doing my 3rd residency in NYC, and after that I will be bringing this project to Nebraska (confirmed!), as well as other conservative-leaning states where drag bans have been proposed or are already in effect (like Kentucky, Missouri, and North Carolina) in order to work with and within the communities that urgently need this art most — and you can help make that happen.
I have self-funded this project from its beginning, and my goal now is to raise money via my GoFundMe fundraiser to help me cover the many costs associated with preserving and expanding this archive - like travel expenses to places like Omaha and other conservative states, where the recent explosion of virulent anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment and legislation have been most felt by drag artists. I would be so incredibly grateful for your help with protecting and supporting drag and drag artists by donating to the archive today.
PLEASE DONATE - EVERY CONTRIBUTION HELPS, NO MATTER THE AMOUNT!
Contributions can also be made via Venmo @lifeisdrag