Trans Art Mart will return to Bok Building on May 21, featuring the work of 60 trans, nonbinary and gender-expansive artists and makers. Attendees can expect to find soaps, prints, visual art, nail polish, paper goods, stickers, pins and much more. Miller Potoma and Xavier Chenet-Smith are the current organizers of the market, one of relatively few spaces specifically for trans creatives to sell their art.
“Trans creatives and trans people in general deserve to feel respected, celebrated, and safe, regardless of where they go,” Potoma said. “Unfortunately, a lot of spaces are not that. The goal for Trans Art Mart is to provide one of those safer spaces where community — trans folks and people who support us — can come together and enjoy being in community, being in the closeness of people who have similar values as them. Trans people also deserve to be paid, especially for their creativity and labor.”
As a trans artist himself, Potoma had thoughts of cultivating a space for trans and nonbinary artists in 2018. When the creator of Trans Art Mart independently launched their own market, Potoma reached out to them to collaborate.
“I think they experienced being invited to markets that were not actually reflective of their identity and kind of felt uncomfy,” Potoma said. “They thought — let’s actually create this space where trans people and nonbinary people can exist with their artwork.”
A portion of the $5 entrance fee for Trans Art Mart will go to Philly Housing Reparations and Cars for Philly.
“We fundamentally believe that reparations are required,” Potoma said. “They are a part of living justly and upholding the values of Trans Art Mart. Trans people deserve secure housing and access to transportation. We truly believe that without our Black ancestors, Trans Art Mart wouldn’t even exist.”
At the upcoming market, Newton Rogers will be selling their drawings, which are inspired by their childhood proclivity for drawing fanart of 1990s anime heroes and their desire to design video games. “I’m a therapist now, but I like to think that my art is a way to connect with that younger me who’s making video games in an alternate timeline,” Rogers said.
Trans Art Mart was Rogers’ first time vending, and despite feeling nervous, being around others in the community made them feel loved, they said. For them, spaces that elevate trans and nonbinary artists are vital.
“As a therapist and as an artist in the community, I’ve witnessed a lot of shady dealings and unsafe environments for people who aren’t in the ‘LGB’ in creative spaces,” Rogers said. “Often, it’s Black and Brown trans people being taken advantage of for profit. It is trans, nonbinary, and gender expansive creatives who helped build the scene. Without us, there wouldn’t be this magic.”
Keisha Lewis, who runs Multitudes of 1 Studio, will be selling a variety of items, including skin care products, earrings and hand-painted clutch bags. Before discovering Trans Art Mart, Lewis did not know of trans-centric vending events.
“I feel that it is important to hold space for trans, nonbinary and gender-expansive creatives because so many of us don’t have a voice, so many of us don’t have a place to share the things we create with the public,” Lewis said. “There are not always events geared toward us that will allow our work to be seen.”
Trans Art Mart will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on May 21 at Bok Building’s West Gym (821 Dudley St). Masks and vaccine cards are required upon entry, although medical exemptions will be accepted. COVID tests, narcan and fentanyl testing strips will be available.