Photo by Jose A Guzman Colon

1878 Gallery

November 23, 2024 - February 16, 2025

Exhibition Preview and
Drag Me Into Thanksgiving at Hotel Lucine
Saturday, November 23, 2024
GAC gallery open 12 - 5PM

Exhibition preview and meet and greet with Tammie 4:30-5:30 PM at GAC

Performances by Tammie Brown at 7 and 9 PM at Hotel Lucine

ArtWalk Reception
Saturday, November 30, 2024
6 – 9 PM
Artist talk at 6:30 PM

GAC’s exhibitions are supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Texas Commission on the Arts. Additional sponsorship for this exhibition was made possible with support from MJ Ippolito Alvarado and Steven Creitz and friends. Artist accommodations generously provided by Hotel Lucine.

Tammie Brown
Rag Queenz

Galveston Arts Center presents Rag Queenz by Tammie Brown. The exhibition highlights Tammie’s visual arts practice that has developed in tandem with her celebrated career as a drag performer, reality television star, and recording artist. The exhibition features a series of Tammie’s Rag Queenz, hand-made dolls created from designer nylons embellished with embroidery and repurposed materials, as well as “facial impressions” featuring the imprint of the artist’s likeness on make-up wipes. Tammie’s Rag Queenz are inspired by her childhood growing up in Mexico and influenced by the craftsmanship and labor of the native artistry of central and western Mexico. This early influence is combined with inspiration from the Southern California drag scene and artists such as Fadra Fae, Delta Work, and the notorious Tranimal exhibits of photographer Austin Young. Her dolls feature hand sewn and embellished faces with their bodies wrapped in snakes which symbolize the nature of flexibility for the artist. As a self-taught artist, Tammie has created and offered her work through live streams on social media platforms. The exhibition at Galveston Arts Center is the first gallery presentation of her work.

Tammie will kick off the exhibition with a performance at Hotel Lucine on Saturday, November 23 as part of their Drag Me Into Thanksgiving weekend. A preview Tammie’s exhibition will take place on the 23rd at GAC prior to the performance at Lucine.

The exhibition will open to the public in conjunction with ArtWalk on Saturday, November 30, from 6 to 9PM with an artist talk at 6:30PM and will remain on view through February 16, 2025.

Tammie Brown is a Queer American singer, actor and drag performer, perhaps best known for her appearance as a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 1 and Drag Race All-Stars. Currently, she is a fixture in the International Drag scene. Born in Corpus Christi, TX, Tammie started her career performing as Cha Cha from the musical Grease, and as the Wicked Stepmother in Into the Woods. She first started performing drag at Club Divas in Corpus Christi. She initially wanted to perform under her birth name, Keith (Glen) Schubert, however, she was urged to pick the name Tammie Brown by Corpus Christi’s local pageant queens. In the early 2000’s Tammie’s persona was developed at Fire Island Nightclub in Long Beach, CA. During this time, she made an appearance as Tammie Brown on The Surreal Life with Tammy Faye Messner and How Clean is Your House. As Keith Glen Schubert, he has appeared in commercials for McDonalds and UPS and in Korn’s music video Twisted Transistor. As Tammie Brown, she appeared in Robbie William’s music video She’s Madonna and Crazy Lupe’s Mm Ma Ma.

In March 2009, Tammie released her first album, Popcorn on Itunes featuring Tammie’s otherworldly videos such as Shaka Buku U, Whatever, and The Ballad of Tiger Lily. Subsequent albums include Hot Skunks/Gorillas Caliente, A Little Bit Of Tammie, and Schubert, which have delighted audiences with hits like Porta Pottie Prostitute, Love Piñata, and Time Machine. Tammie is also known for her stunning video elements created in conjunction with creative director John-Mark. Tammie made headlines with the series The Browns featuring herself and Kelly Mantle and their familial Instagram hijinks which went on to be picked up by Amazon and is now on that platform as well as Out TV. Also available on streaming services are her holiday specials Tammie Brown’s Halloween Spooktacular and Holiday Sparkle. 

Currently, Tammie spends her summers performing at the Red Room in Provincetown, MA and long runs in Puerta Vallarta in the spring. She rounds out the rest of her time creating visual content, writing music, making her infamous Rag Queenz dolls and embroidered facial impressions and touring the globe performing her original songs.

@planettammie (Instagram, TikTok)
@ItsTammieBrown (YouTube)