Rochester artist preserves Minnesota drag queen history through portrait series

ROCHESTER – It took more than 220 hours to properly convey Sidonia Dudval on canvas.

In her portrait, Dudval lounges on a luxurious ottoman inside a Hollywood-style mansion — the kind of elegant atmosphere Dudval embodies at drag shows throughout southeast Minnesota.

Artist Joseph Alexander captured Dudval's vibe as part of his portrait series, "The Grand Drag Legacy of Southeastern Minnesota." The five portraits are on display at the Historic Chateau Theatre in Rochester to honor pioneers of the region's modern drag scene.

"Not only is drag culture being remembered but there's a reason to remember them and who they were," Alexander said.

Alexander has attended drag shows in Rochester since the 1990s, when performers like Dudval and Anita Tiara started consistent events. Dudval is the founder of the Rochester Girls shows while Tiara has hosted drag queen bingo fundraisers for years.

Both are longtime pageant winners and have a history of the area's drag scene that wouldn't be preserved without this kind of attention, Alexander said.

He started the series a year and a half ago, setting up photo sessions with each queen. After taking hundreds of photos of each performer in numerous outfits, he put together backgrounds that brought out each queen's personality. He then built each portrait's canvas, followed by painting each queen's likeness.

Alexander selected queens from a variety of genres, from elegant performers like Dudval and Tiara to campy Gosh Alice Johns, along with the flashy Allota Shots and Jayda Cline. Each has performed in the area for years and has played a part in expanding drag in Rochester.

Drag has come under fire over the past few years, with some performers across the state subject to fierce debate and protests. Yet Minnesota has had drag performances for decades.

There were popular "womanless wedding" revues at the turn of the 20^th century where an all-male cast performed comedic wedding scenes for school and church fundraisers. Shows were done from Worthington to Lanesboro to the Twin Cities.

The performers included in Alexander's series say it's an honor to be portrayed, a validation of the work they've put in.

"Drag has really thrived in Rochester for the last 25 years," said Bob Werner, who portrays Tiara. "I don't think that's very common in most towns of 100,000 people."

Darren Wendt, who portrays Dudval, said the portrait series was a little bittersweet. He was close friends with drag queen Celeste DeVille, who died in 2000 in a car accident. Wendt credits DeVille with kickstarting drag events in Rochester.

"She was kind of the anchor," Wendt said. "I wish Celeste was here because if her portrait was in it, it would be the staple. But I guess having Sidonia there, my portrait there, it's kind of like the history is still there because Celeste is always part of me."

"The Grand Drag Legacy" opened Aug. 13 and will be on display until early November. Alexander said he plans to hold talks and artist forums that include the queens, along with a closing ceremony where all the queens will come together.

He's already hard at work on his next project: another portrait series, this time featuring prominent Minnesota LGBTQ advocates over the years.

Alexander is already taking photos of Minneapolis City Council President Andrea Jenkins. He plans to include First Nations advocates as well as leaders some may not have heard of before.

"They've been so important in your life if you're queer in Minnesota," Alexander said. "There's [some] who people will not ever know who they are except for something like this."