Jess T. Dugan has created intimate portraits that engage with issues of identity, sexuality, gender, and community. Every Breath We Drew works within the framework of queer experience and actively constructed masculinity. These portraits examine the intersection between private, individual identity and the search for intimate connection with others.
Jess T. Dugan is an artist whose work explores issues of gender, sexuality, identity, and community. She earned a BFA in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, a Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies from Harvard University, and an MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago. Jess’s work has been exhibited at [the San Diego Museum of Art, the Catherine Edelman Gallery (Chicago, IL), the Grey House Gallery (Krakow, Poland), the Griffin Museum of Photography, Gallery Kayafas (Boston, MA), Carroll and Sons Gallery (Boston, MA), Michael Mazzeo Gallery (New York, NY), JDC Fine Art (San Diego, CA), the Jennifer Schwartz Gallery (Atlanta, GA), the Leslie/Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, 516 Arts (Albuquerque, NM), the Photographic Resource Center at Boston University, and at many colleges and universities nationwide].
Every Breath We Drew examines the intersection between private, individual identity and the search for intimate connection with others.
"Her photographs have deep nuances, hinting at some vast expanse that shimmers at the edges of our vision.",
- New York Times Lens Blog, May 5, 2014
"...examines the power of identity, desire, and connection through the art of portraiture in 2015.",
- Huffington Post, September 20, 2015
"Dugan strives to form an intimate connection with her subjects to present their gentle, introspective sides?",
- Photograph Magazine, November/December 2015 Issue
