516 ARTS

✨THANK YOU!🎉⁠
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The Rest Is Drag welcomed a full house for it's opening reception last weekend! The evening included music by DJ Solita Mamacita, food by Wolf ‘n’ Swallow, a powerful poetry performance from Manuel Gonzales, and two performances from Lady Shug. We are so grateful to you all coming out for our LAST OPENING in our current location. See the full album via the link in our bio!⁠
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Missed the opening? No problem! You can now sign up for the Exhibition Tour with Curator Olivia Amaya Ortiz, Saturday, August 8 at 2 pm. Visit 516arts.org/events for more information.⁠
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Discover the stories behind The Rest Is Drag as curator Olivia Amaya Ortiz leads a tour exploring Route 66, LGBTQIA+ histories, and the transformative power of contemporary art.⁠
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Photos by Tara Armijo-Prewitt, Crush Diaz & Daniel Ulibarri.⁠
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Visit us and explore work by featured artists Vita Kari Chris E. Vargas The Perez Bros Christina Fernandez Justin Favela Jesse Raine Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa Pueblos) 𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓓𝓸𝓰 fronteristxs Eric Romero 𝔞𝔭𝔬𝔩𝔬 𝔤𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔷 Nate Lemuel (Diné) Rose B. Simpson (Kh’a’po Owingeh) Jonathan Loretto (Walatowa/Kotyit-i) and D.C ALLEN (Baaa t’ – chlish, Del Curfman) (Crow Tribe of Montana)

Haven't seen The Rest is Drag in person yet? Premium Parking is making it easier for you! Until August 31st, use the promo code SUMMER66 between 10:30 am – 1:30 pm (Monday – Friday) and enjoy 20% off parking in all of their downtown lots.⁠
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Thank you to our friends at DowntownABQ MainStreet Arts for the graphic! We hope to see you soon.

As we celebrate our twentieth year, "The Rest is Drag" marks the final exhibition opening at our longtime home on Central Avenue. Join us for one last unveiling before we the next exciting chapter!
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The evening will include music by Solita food by Wolf ‘n’ Swallow and a cash bar by Casa Cocktails
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"The Rest Is Drag" features artists Vita Kari Chris E. Vargas The Perez Bros Christina Fernandez Justin Favela Jesse Raine Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa Pueblos) 𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓓𝓸𝓰 fronteristxs Eric Romero 𝔞𝔭𝔬𝔩𝔬 𝔤𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔷 Nate Lemuel (Diné) Rose B. Simpson (Kh’a’po Owingeh) Jonathan Loretto (Walatowa/Kotyit-i) and D.C ALLEN (Baaa t’ – chlish, Del Curfman) (Crow Tribe of Montana)

The Perez Bros. were born and raised in South Gate, California—in the Los Angeles County—within a family of "motorheads". Their work celebrates and embodies the lowriders and car clubs of Los Angeles' Chicano community.⁠
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Executed by both brothers in tandem, the monochromatic, tone-on-tone acrylic paintings are inspired by the candied gloss color palette of lowriders. The brothers choose subjects from a personal archive of photographs, gathered over a lifetime immersed in the scene⁠
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Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, July 11. Member Preview 5–6pm | Public Reception 6–8pm. Featuring live music by DJ Solita Mamacita Solita food from Wolf ‘n’ Swallow and a special reading from NM Poet Laureate Manuel González Manuel González

After more than 30 years creating traditional seed pots, Jonathan Loretto (Walatowa/Kotyit-i) expanded his practice to include figurative sculpture, bringing together Pueblo tradition and contemporary expression. His ceramic figures—often drummers, dancers, and coyote-human forms inspired by stories passed down through Pueblo generations—are embellished with turquoise and semiprecious stone inlays, reflecting his background as a jewelry artist.⁠
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In a 2013 interview with The Santa Fe New Mexican, Loretto described his transition to sculpture as a way to create work that remained rooted in tradition while embracing a contemporary approach. His sculptures continue that dialogue, honoring cultural continuity through innovation and storytelling.⁠
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Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, July 11. Member Preview 5–6pm | Public Reception 6–8pm. Featuring live music by DJ Solita Mamacita Solita food from Wolf ‘n’ Swallow and a special reading from NM Poet Laureate Manuel González Manuel González

D.C. ALLEN (Baaa t’ – chlish, Del Curfman) (Crow Tribe of Montana), known for his oil paintings, is an artist primarily focused on figurative and nostalgic realism work. Don't miss the unveiling of "Echos of the Land: Historic Route 66" a mixed media piece made up of collected materials gathered along Route 66. ⁠
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Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, July 11. Member Preview 5–6pm | Public Reception 6–8pm. Featuring live music by DJ Solita Mamacita Solita food from Wolf ‘n’ Swallow and a special reading from NM Poet Laureate Manuel González Manuel González

✨JULY 11, 6pm, don't miss our next unveiling!✨⁠ ⁠ ⁠
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Taking its title from RuPaul’s assertion, “We’re all born naked and the rest is drag,” "The Rest is Drag" expands the idea of drag beyond the stage to encompass acts of visibility, self-fashioning, and world-making. From lowrider culture and drag racing to drag performance itself, these practices emerge as strategies of survivance, commemoration, and self-determination.⁠
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Centering 2SLGBTQIA+ histories, Indigenous cultural reclamation, and the enduring legacy of lowriding, The Rest Is Drag examines how communities have occupied, transformed, and reimagined the spaces of Route 66 on their own terms. ⁠
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Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, July 11. Member Preview 5–6pm | Public Reception 6–8pm. Featuring live music by DJ Solita Mamacita Solita food from Wolf ‘n’ Swallow and a special reading from NM Poet Laureate Manuel González Manuel González⁠ ⁠ ⁠
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"The Rest Is Drag" features artists Vita Kari Chris E. Vargas The Perez Bros Christina Fernandez Justin Favela Jesse Raine Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa Pueblos) 𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓓𝓸𝓰 fronteristxs Eric Romero 𝔞𝔭𝔬𝔩𝔬 𝔤𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔷 Nate Lemuel (Diné) Rose B. Simpson (Kh’a’po Owingeh) Jonathan Loretto (Walatowa/Kotyit-i) and D.C ALLEN (Baaa t’ – chlish, Del Curfman) (Crow Tribe of Montana)