DONATIONS NEEDED

to sponsor the traveling exhibition
and continued creation of

TRANSFIGURATIONS

Having won numerous awards including Best Photos of the Year 2005, the work is uncovering who transgender people are, spreading awareness of this minority subculture, and deconstructing gender roles as we know them. What better way to discover how men and women are structuring their identities and where those influences come from, then to see the words and images of people who have lived as both men and women in our culture? Viewers of all orientations and backgrounds have been deeply moved and educated from this work.

Last year's exhibition, "The Making of a Man", explored transgender men and their notions of masculinity while forming their gender identities. This work toured the Bay Area in 2005 in both group shows and solo exhibits at such venues as The Institute for Contemporary Art (San Jose), SFCamerworks (San Francisco), The Center for Photographic Arts (Carmel), The SF GLBT Center (San Francisco) and San Jose State University.

The current exhibit is getting booked rapidly, which includes the premiere of the new work "The Making of a Woman", which investigates transgender women and their notions of femininity. The new work is premiering in May 2006, at the Santa Cruz Institute For Contemporary Art, followed by exhibits across the country including San Francisco, Seattle, New York and at The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Maine.

Producing the work and mounting the exhibits are extremely costly. Galleries do not pay for mounting or shipping costs. Thousands of dollars have been spent thus far to produce the project. With no grant money available at this time, I'm struggling to find the funds to keep the work exhibited. If you are interested in this project and would like to see it continue to exhibit, please consider making a donation.

I can not stress enough how this work is so much bigger than just a photographer and her "art project." This work is vitally important in breaking down stereotypes, setting wheels of social change into motion, and giving a voice to an under represented group in our society. I believe change happens through education. It is my sincerest wish to keep this work in public view.

Please give to help this work continue to tour. My donation goal is $5000. this amount would cover the mounting of the new exhibit, as well as shipping costs to tour.

Any amount is helpful, from $10 to $100 or more. You can use the PayPal link at the top of this page to make an easy, secure donation via credit card.

There will be recognition of donors on display with the work, unless you would prefer to remain anonymous. If an organzation or corporation would like to be a sponsor of this touring exhibit, marketing opportunities are available, and I am available for lecture and slide presentations. Please contact me directly.

Thank you for your support!

Sincere gratitude,
Jana Marcus

To donate through PayPal, please click the "Make a Donation" button above.
If you would like to donate by check, please email me directly.

 

• SEE THE WORK ONLINE:
— You can view a selection of the work as a slide show here.

• MORE INFO:
— Learn more about this work, articles on Jana Marcus, awards, and upcoming presentatons and exhibits here.

Transfigurations exhibit at San Jose State University

What People Are Saying:

"I have to say that I really really really
like your work. Its smart and
well executed."
— Lawrence Brose
Executive Director
CEPA Gallery, NY

"This is the most important photographic work I've seen in years."
— Dennis Keeley
Renowned Photographer & Educator

"This work must be seen."
— Charles Gatewood
Renowned Photographer

"[the photos] causes you to re-examine your concepts of self and the comfort zones of others. Bravo!"
— M. Messersmith, Mountain View

"I showed your work...and we were just so moved by the images. You really capture the dignity of people with clarity and honesty. The text accompanying the images is really powerful."
— Dennis J. Dunleavy, Ph.D.
Department of Communication
Southern Oregon University

"...Your images, presentation, statements and insight is outstanding. Your passion and commitment is to be highly commended."
—M. Alcantera

"The vignettes in your Transfigurations exhibit is truly inspiring."
—Carlos Las Vegas, Canada

"My wife and I saw your web site. We were very impressed with...and grateful for...your work. Thank you for this wonderful contribution to helping folks learn more about who we really are."
—J. Martin

"You did a wonderful job capturing the heart, soul, and intelligence of three gentlemen who I am proud to know (Lyle, Jamison, & Aidan).  Thank you for not objectifying these men, but presenting them as human beings of depth and intelligence. Work well done."
—N. McDaniel

"I love your show!!  Thank you so very much for putting it together, for documenting these wonderful guys and their lives.  It's a long hard journey most of them make, and I've found that most of them are wiser and more self-aware than I could have imagined."
 —Cathie

"I love your work and being a genderqueer feminist, at the very beginning of my proces, I found it very inspiring to read the ideas about maleness, manhood and so on, since I am struggling with that myself. Thanks for doing this! I am happy the internet to exists to see this work!"
—Joz, Belgium

"I was able to view your current photo exhibit from my computer here in South Carolina. It is a moving and very compelling exhibit--I loved it all."
—J. Herman Blake, Sociologist

"The images and text are fabulous, they illustrate so well what many FTMs think and feel. I have been passing along the link to your website to people everywhere." 
—D. Gould, Los Angeles

  "I'm a mother and grandmother and lived all these years without knowledge of this subject.  Your pictures are astounding and the subjects' comments were heartfelt." 
— N. Caylin