A public celebration and archive of photographs, videos and artworks made about High Fantasy, a drag series at Aunt Charlie's Lounge.

Facilitated by performer Silk Worm and artist Raphael Villet, High Fantasy Memory Index is a public celebration and archive of photographs, videos and artworks made about High Fantasy, a drag performance and party that ran every Tuesday at Aunt Charlie’s Lounge from 2010 to 2018. This archive, which marks the end of the Tenderloin Museum's broader series of programs about Aunt Charlie's, also kicks off the museum's creation of their highly anticipated book, Aunt Charlie’s: San Francisco’s Working Class Drag Bar.

Described as a near-religious space by Marissa Leitman, another Bay Area photographer who extensively documented High Fantasy, the Tuesday evening event was not just entertainment, but a venue for self-discovery: A performance was a performance, but it didn't end when the drag show stopped—the personas who appeared onstage were often reflections of the person behind them, functioning as integral components of their identity.

As an open submission archive, this civic project invites viewers to submit their work—and aims to show High Fantasy from the many perspectives of its performers, hosts, bartenders, DJs, regulars, and guests. After the reception, attendees are also invited to attend Angels, Aunt Charlie’s Lounge’s new Tuesday night party.

To submit work to High Fantasy Memory Index, please email work to info@tenderloinmuseum.org

About the book:

Aunt Charlie’s: San Francisco’s Working Class Drag Bar is a textured compilation of photographs, paintings, and stories about the iconic venue. Highlighting the work of numerous LGBTQ artists, Aunt Charlie’s: San Francisco’s Working Class Drag Bar uses media to draw the Tenderloin’s low-income LGBTQ community into focus, to reflect on the area’s history as a contributor to the art of drag performance, and to engage the intersectionality of drag as it relates to questions of class, race, gender, and beyond.