Photography Courtesy of Amy Zapata
The Pomonan
Published 6/21/2023 7:53 Am PST
SAN BERNARDINO - The Garcia Center for the Arts hosted the first annual Bridges of Pride event in San Bernardino last month. Organized by city-natives Amy Zapata,Yulissa Mendoza, and drag artist Jean Decay, the day featured make-up tutorials, fan-art workshops and culminated in a live drag show.
Zapata and Mendoza set about creating the event in an attempt to give light and space to those underrepresented in the community. With the success of Bridges of Pride, Zapata and Mendoza hope to bring more queer-friendly events to the Inland Empire. “Everything in my art is to highlight the underrepresented,” says Zapata. She also notes that support from the Garcia Center and Arts Connection of San Bernardino County made the event possible.
Activities began with a lesson on drag history from artist Jean Decay who shared a timeline on the evolution of drag. Sporting a “china poblana” skirt made by Decay’s grandmother, Decay educated the attendees about the known origins of drag. “Presenting 150 years of drag history to my hometown was a dream,” they noted during the talk. “Drag is a wonderful and accessible art form that deserves to be celebrated, especially in a community I care so deeply for.”
Courtesy of Amy Zapata
Courtesy Yulissa Mendoza
Next, the crowds moved to handheld fan art with Micah Amaro. Amaro enjoys bipoc focused art with bright colors, big eyes and hopes that her art can inspire others to be themselves unapologetically. The Paint Sesh she hosted was such a success she ran out of material!
Fans in hand, the group then had the chance to flex their dance muscles with ballet folklorico dancer Fresa con Crema. Fresa led the group through various dance steps, some which were simple and some which were more complex. Once finished, attendees then gathered to watch drag artist Sissy, fresh out of retirement, give an expert make-up tutorial. All stared in amazement as Sissy shared his skills including using eyeshadow to add shine to lipstick and the “baking” technique many drag artists use to help clean off make-up when they are done.
The festivities ended with a phenomenal high-energy drag show! Jean Decay kicked things off with a performance of Santigold’s Chasing Shadows. Next, drag artist Girlie Drag returned to the Garcia Center for a medley performance of hits including Rocio Durcal’s Costumbres and Gloria Trevi’s Todos Me Miran. Jean Decay then closed the show with Barbara Streisand’s Don’t Rain on My Parade. The electric atmosphere even inspired some attendees to take the stage themselves!
Overall, the event was a huge success for Zapata and Mendoza who hope to bring back Bridges of Pride for next year. “We can only go up from here,” says Zapata. “Next year the event will be even bigger as we seek to celebrate queer culture in the Inland Empire. We’re already here. We just need to be seen.”
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