PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON LEAVY
KNOCKOUT QUEENS
Some new faces at the popular drag festival Bushwig 2017
Founded by Horrorchata — a local though now more visible Brooklyn nightlife star and promoter — Bushwig began in 2012. Having doubled in attendance every year since its debut, 2017’s iteration was held at the picturesque Knockdown Center in Queens. The two-day boutique performance and music festival billed nearly 80 performers both known and unknown on the circuit, reaffirming their commitment to “fostering innovation and creativity in performance.”
This year delivered shows from rising stars such as Candy Sterling, Untitled Queen, Wednesday Westwood, Suburbia, and Kandy Muse, to name very few, plus New York City staples like Charlene, Tyler Ashley and Merrie Cherry. Alyssa Edwards, who most recently starred in RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 2, headlined Saturday night at the festival. I had many people ask me, “Are you going to Bushwig?” while working GAYLETTER’s table at Printed Matter’s Art Book Fair.
We sent Jason Leavy, who introduced himself at NYC’s DragCon, to Bushwig to photograph some of the standout personas who, though not slated to perform, still came in top-notch looks. “Bushwig proved to be an amazing local event, but somehow still dragged me out of urban New York,” Leavy said. “The Knockdown Center was laid out perfectly, and had ample space for exploring and making friends. My favorite area, known properly as ‘Love Down Low’, boasted tattoos, seriously delicious food, cinema, and gorgeous natural light. I was glad to hear that it seemed like there was a balance of Bushwig first-timers versus returning queens.”
Taking pictures during the earlier portion of the all day event, Leavy captured delicate portraits of knockout Queens on 35mm. Optimistic in their outfits, Leavy and his knack for natural light platformed the following queens for GAYLETTER. Keep a look out for these girls — they might be billed in 2018:
