Tender Visions is an ongoing portrait series rooted in a celebration of self and new forms of visual representation within my community. This work seeks to highlight the ever-growing Black Queer community in New Mexico—a state often praised for its diversity, yet one where Black residents make up only 3% of the population. In this context, it feels essential to center those who have long existed here alongside those who are newly part of this community.

This project is informed by my own experiences of identity and artistry, shaped through connections within the Black Queer community. The act of seeing and being seen in these spaces has reinforced the necessity of creating work that asserts our presence and complexity in a region where we are often unseen or misunderstood.