With support from the California Arts Council, Chrysalis Studio will conduct Queer Ancestors Project PRINTS!, a free 19-week series of printmaking and LGBTQ2S+ history workshops taking place October 2026 – Sept 2027 at San Francisco’s SOMArts Cultural Center for 10 Queer and Transgender emerging artists age 18-26. Artists will create and disseminate prints exploring Queer and Trans ancestors and the roots of their own individual experiences of Queerness. The workshop series will culminate in a Group Exhibition, Artist Reception, and Artist Panel at STRUT San Francisco. CAC funds will support personnel, including the Project Director, BIPOC Q/T alum interns, and guest artists; materials for print production; accessibility services including ASL interpretation; and exhibition costs.
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Chrysalis Studio’s core programs center the Queer Ancestors Project (QAP), a year-round set of free printmaking and literary workshops, exhibitions, public events, and artist development opportunities for LGBTQ2S+ emerging artists. Across all QAP programs, participants move through a shared arc: they study queer and trans ancestors, build artistic skills, create new work, share that work publicly, and become part of an intergenerational creative community that continues beyond the workshop.
Chrysalis offers four QAP programs. QAP PRINTS! is an annual 19-week printmaking workshop in visual storytelling and queer ancestry which culminates in an exhibition and artist panel at STRUT that drew 440+ attendees in 2026.
QAP Kaleidoscope, developed with Still Here San Francisco, is a literary workshop that deepens intergenerational connection through writing, mentorship, and public sharing. In 2025, a showcase at San Francisco Public Library’s Hormel Center featured young writers reflecting on ancestors such as Audre Lorde and Gloria Anzaldúa, welcoming 175+ attendees.
QAP RESISTS! supports emerging artists in creating political posters on issues including prison abolition, transgender rights, climate justice, and immigrant justice. In 2025, our Under Pressure community print party at SOMArts welcomed 225+ attendees, distributing posters and apparel carrying artist-designed messages into the world. Attendees chose art to be printed on their shirts, for free.
QAP Comix expands storytelling through comics and visual narrative. Together, these programs support artistic growth, public presentation, intergenerational learning, leadership development, and community building for emerging LGBTQ2S+ artists. One participant reflected, “This workshop helped me find community when I was struggling, provided me with a space to grow my art skills and connect with my ancestors. This is a space where I feel at peace.”