Zackary Drucker

Zackary Drucker (born 1983) is an American trans woman multimedia artist, LGBT activist, actress, and television producer. She is a consultant on the TV series Transparent and is based out of Los Angeles. Drucker is an artist whose work explores themes of gender and sexuality and critiques predominant two-dimensional representations.[1] Drucker has stated that she considers discovering, telling, and preserving trans history to be not only an artistic opportunity but a political responsibility.[2] Drucker's work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, and film festivals including but not limited to the 2014 Whitney Biennial, MoMA PS1, Hammer Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern art.[3]

Zackary Drucker
Born1983 (age 36–37)
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationCalifornia Institute of the Arts, School of Visual Arts (SVA)
Known forperformance art, television production, photography, film
Websitezackarydrucker.com

Early life

Zackary Drucker was born in 1983 and raised in Syracuse, New York[4] by what she calls "two really fantastic, progressive, educated parents." Her paternal grandfather, Eugene Drucker, was an aeronautical engineering professor at Syracuse University who consulted on the Apollo space program. She earned an M.F.A. from the California Institute of the Arts in 2007 and a B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts in 2005.[5] In 2006, Drucker made her first television appearance as a contestant on Jeffrey Deitch's Artstar.

After graduating from CalArts in 2007, Drucker decided to stay in Los Angeles.[6] Photographs from her graduate thesis show, "5 East 73rd Street", feature photographs of mentor Flawless Sabrina. That same year, her work was included in a group exhibition called Girly Show: Pin-ups, Zines & the So-Called Third Wave at the Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga.[7]

Drucker did not have role models growing up, but her parents were progressive and supported her gender nonconformity.[8] In high school, Drucker aligned herself with Kate Bornstein's books about ways of living that do not ascribe to traditional gender conventions.

Personal life

When Drucker met Rhys Ernst, Drucker had recently graduated from the School of Visual Arts and was on the TV show "Artstar". Drucker had never dated a man before and Ernst had never dated a woman. In 2014, Drucker and Ernst had a show at the Whitney Museum of American Art which captured them in day-to-day relatable scenarios like celebrating anniversaries, staying in, or relaxing by the pool.[9] The former couple published the photographs of them together, which the New York Times, stated was an important public record for transgender life.[10] Although the couple is no longer together, Drucker and Ernst want to show that transgender people can live ordinary lives, filled with love.[10] In a 2014 magazine, Drucker stated that she hopes that one day we can surpass the binaries of gender entirely.[9]

Career

In 2011, Drucker and photographer Amos Mac collaborated to make a series of photographs in Drucker's hometown of Syracuse, titled "Home is Where the Heart is, Distance is Where You Hang Your Heart." This series was also published in magazine form, titled "TransLady Fanzine".[11]

Drucker and collaborator Rhys Ernst were included in the first iteration of the Hammer/LAX Art biennial.[12] There they premiered the film "She Gone Rogue" and the film was also included in Outfest 2013.[13] "She Gone Rogue" includes several of Drucker's mentors including Holly Woodlawn, Vaginal Davis, and Flawless Sabrina.[14]

In 2014, Drucker and Ernst exhibited "Relationship", at the Whitney Biennial, through a series of photos that chronicled the process and evolution of the couple's relationship and gender transitions.[15][16] The photographic series was later exhibited at Luis De Jesus Gallery, where Drucker is represented.[17] In 2016, "Relationship" was released as a book.[18]

Since 2013, Drucker had worked as a consultant and producer on Amazon's original series Transparent.[19] Media scholar Nicole Morse argues that Drucker’s use of double casting in Transparent brings to light transfeminine history from the 1930s to 1994.[20] For this role, Drucker was also involved with writing, hiring, casting, producing, providing notes on script, offering feedback, and postproduction.[20] According to the New York Times Magazine, Drucker's and Ernst's goal for Transparent is to ensure that trans people are depicted authentically on screen and that they are also working behind the scenes. Drucker mostly contributed to the plot, script, wardrobe, and casting of episode 8, "Best New Girl" from Season 1. In this episode, Drucker believed it was crucial to capture the historical tension between those who identified as male cross-dressers and those who transition. In Season 2, Drucker was involved with shaping the historical context and casting.[21]

In 2015, Drucker joined the cast of the E! docu-series, I Am Cait.[18] She was also served as a supervising producer on the Emmy-nominated series of docu-shorts, This is Me.[22]

In 2017, Drucker collaborated with the ACLU, Laverne Cox, Molly Crabapple, and Kim Boekbinder, in making a video about transgender history and resistance, called "Time Marches Forward & So Do We".[23]

Drucker continues her art practice, working independently on film and photography projects.

Through her artworks, Drucker shares and uncovers forgotten histories of transgender people.[24]

Exhibitions, film festivals, performances
  • 2007- "Girly Show: Pin-ups, Zines & the So-Called Third Wave", Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art[7]
  • 2009 - NOW Fest, "P.I.G." a multimedia performance and film with Wu Ingrid Tsang, Mariana Marroquin, REDCAT[25]
  • 2011 - 54th Venice Biennale, Swiss Off-Site Pavilion[26]
  • 2012 - "At least you know: you exist", short film, Hammer Museum[27]
  • 2012 - "Female Trouble" curated by Dirty Looks NYC, "Fish" video (2008), Human Resources LA[28]
  • 2012 - "Zackary Drucker: At Least You Know You Exist" July 7 - September 10, 2012 MoMA PS1, New York[26]
  • 2014 - Whitney Biennial, "Relationship", photo series with Rhys Ernst, Whitney Museum of American Art[29]
  • 2019 - "School for Endurance Work," Cal State LA Fine Arts Gallery[30]

Filmography

Film and video art
Year Film and video art Role Type Citation
2017 Time Marches Forward & So Do We short documentary video [23]
2015 Southern For Pussy Director, Writer & Actress short film [31]
2012 She Gone Rogue Actress, Writer & Producer short film [26]
2011 At Least You Know You Exist Director short film [27]
2010 Lost Lake Actress short film collaboration with Van Barnes
2009 P.I.G. Actress multimedia performance and film collaboration with Rhys Ernst. [25]
2008 Fish Actress [28]
2008 You Will Never Be a Woman collaboration with Van Barnes, Mariah Garnett, and A.L. Steiner[32]
2020 Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen Herself documentary film [33]

Television
Year Television Role Citation
2015–2016 I am Cait Actress/Herself [34]
2015 This is me (documentary) Producer, Actress/Herself [35]
2014–2016 Transparent Producer, Actress/Herself [36]

Performance
Year Title Role Location Notes
2015 Bring Your Own Body: the Story of Lynn Harris Artist Cooper Union, New York City, New York A multimedia performance featuring paint, sculpture, textiles, film, digital collage, and performance.[37]
gollark: `x = unsafePerformIO . launchMissiles $ TargetCountry Greenland`
gollark: Wait, I can just use `unsafePerformIO`, never mind.
gollark: That is IMPURE.
gollark: ++delete <@!330678593904443393>
gollark: It's Haskell. Logins interact with the real world. How am I supposed to program that?

References
  1. Kaiser, Charles (Summer 2019). "What Stonewall Sparked". TIME Magazine. 194: 44–49 – via Business Source Complete.
  2. Morse, Nicole Erin. "Seeing double: visibility, alternative temporality, and transfeminine history in "Transparent" by Nicole Erin Morse, p. 1". www.ejumpcut.org. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  3. "Honoring LGBTQIA+ Artists in the Escalette Collection - Celebrating Chapman's LGBTQIA+ History Month". Escalette Permanent Collection of Art at Chapman University. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  4. "Whitney Biennial 2014". Whitney Museum of American Art. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  5. "An Artist Is Born: An Interview With Zackary Drucker". LA I'm Yours. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  6. "An Art Star Is Born: An Interview With Zackary Drucker | Los Angeles, I'm Yours". laimyours.com. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
  7. "Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art". www.chaffey.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
  8. "Rhys Ernst and Zackary Drucker". New York Times. March 13, 2014.
  9. "Rhys Ernst and Zackary Drucker". New York Times. March 13, 2014.
  10. Bobrow, Emily (2016-09-13). "How Two Producers of 'Transparent' Made Their Own Trans Lives More Visible". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  11. "Art review: Zackary Drucker, Amos Mac at Luis de Jesus Gallery". LA Times Blogs - Culture Monster. 2011-12-22. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
  12. "Hammer Biennial Artists and Mohn Prize Announced - News". Art in America Magazine. 2012. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  13. Alloway, Meredith (Producer) (July 16, 2013). Outfest Interview with Zackary Drucker and Rhys Ernst of "She Gone Rogue" (YouTube video). Los Angeles. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  14. Neel, Tucker. "Darling Zackary". artpulsemagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  15. Bernstein, Jacob. "In Their Own Terms". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  16. Cotter, Holland. "One Last Dance in the Old Place". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  17. Knight, Christopher. "Zackary Drucker and Rhys Ernst, from many angles". LA Times. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  18. Bobrow, Emily (2016-09-13). "How Two Producers of 'Transparent' Made Their Own Trans Lives More Visible". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
  19. "Out 100: Zackary Drucker & Rhys Ernst". Out. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  20. "Seeing double: visibility, alternative temporality, and transfeminine history in "Transparent" by Nicole Erin Morse, p. 1". www.ejumpcut.org. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  21. Bobrow, Emily (2016-09-13). "How Two Producers of 'Transparent' Made Their Own Trans Lives More Visible". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  22. "How Amazon's 'This Is Me' marks the next step in trans storytelling". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  23. "Transgender Rights History Told by Laverne Cox: Watch VIDEO". Time.com. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
  24. Morse, Nicole Erin. "Seeing double: visibility, alternative temporality, and transfeminine history in "Transparent" by Nicole Erin Morse, p. 1". www.ejumpcut.org. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  25. "Exclusive: Zackary Drucker at REDCAT's NOW Fest". Flavorwire. 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  26. "She Gone Rogue". Film Studies Center, University of Chicago. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  27. "Zackary Drucker & Her Friends: Films & Conversation - Hammer Museum". The Hammer Museum. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  28. "Female-Trouble Curated by Dirty Looks". Human Resources. February 16, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  29. "Transgender Couple Photographs Their Opposite Transitions". ABC News. 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  30. "The School for Endurance Work Exhibition". Cal State LA. 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  31. "NICOLE MORSE ON SOUTHERN FOR PUSSY". OTV | Open Television. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  32. "You will never be a woman..." Video Data Bank. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  33. July, Beandrea (January 30, 2020). "'Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen'Film Review | Sundance 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  34. "UPDATE: Get to Know 13 Transwomen Featured on I Am Cait". Brit + Co. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  35. "Watch Amazon's transgender docu-series 'This Is Me' right now". Entertainment Weekly. 2015-05-31. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  36. Tourjee, Diana (2014-09-26). "Meet Two of the Trans Minds Behind the Groundbreaking New Show 'Transparent'". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  37. "Bring Your Own Body: Transgender Between Archives and Aesthetics | The Cooper Union". cooper.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
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