Zackary Drucker (born 1983) is an American trans woman multimedia artist, cultural producer,
LGBT activist
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation, as in the ...
, actress, and television producer. She is an Emmy-nominated producer for the docu-series ''This Is Me'', a consultant on the TV series
''Transparent'', and is based out of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. Drucker is an artist whose work explores themes of
gender
Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...
and
sexuality and critiques predominant two-dimensional representations. Drucker has stated that she considers discovering, telling, and preserving trans history to be not only an artistic opportunity but a political responsibility.
Drucker's work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, and film festivals including but not limited to the 2014 Whitney Biennial, MoMA PS1, Hammer Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern art.
Early life
Zackary Drucker was born in 1983 and raised in
Syracuse, New York by what she calls "two really fantastic, progressive, educated parents." Her paternal grandfather, Eugene Drucker, was an aeronautical engineering professor at
Syracuse University who consulted on the Apollo space program. She earned an M.F.A. from the
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...
in 2007 and a B.F.A. from the
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
History
This school was started by ...
in 2005. In 2006, Drucker made her first television appearance as a contestant on Jeffrey Deitch's ''
Artstar''.
After graduating from
CalArts
The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...
in 2007, Drucker decided to stay in Los Angeles. Photographs from her graduate thesis show, "5 East 73rd Street", feature photographs of mentor
Flawless Sabrina. That same year, her work was included in a group exhibition called Girly Show: Pin-ups, Zines & the So-Called Third Wave at the Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art at
Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga.
Drucker did not have role models growing up, but her parents were progressive and supported her gender nonconformity.
In high school, Drucker aligned herself with
Kate Bornstein's books about ways of living that do not ascribe to traditional gender conventions.
Personal life
When Drucker met
Rhys Ernst, Drucker had recently graduated from the
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
History
This school was started by ...
and was on the TV show "
Artstar". Drucker had never dated a man before and Ernst had never dated a woman. In 2014, Drucker and Ernst had a show at the
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–194 ...
which captured them in day-to-day relatable scenarios like celebrating anniversaries, staying in, or relaxing by the pool.
The former couple published the photographs of them together, which the New York Times stated was an important public record for transgender life.
Although the couple is no longer together, Drucker and Ernst want to show that transgender people can live ordinary lives, filled with love.
In a 2014 magazine, Drucker stated that she hopes that one day we can surpass the binaries of gender entirely.
Drucker chose to keep the first name Zackary after transitioning despite it being a traditionally masculine name. Drucker explained her choice by saying "I considered changing my name and when I realized that I didn’t want to, that I’d only be doing it to make everyone around me more comfortable, I decided that it was the epitome of a bad decision. Gandhi said, 'Be the change you wish to see in the world,' and the world I decided to live in is one in which a woman is named 'Zackary.'"
Career
In 2011, Drucker and photographer
Amos Mac collaborated on a series take in Drucker's hometown of
Syracuse, titled "Home is Where the Heart is, Distance is Where You Hang Your Heart." This series was also published in "TransLady Fanzine".
Drucker and collaborator Rhys Ernst were included in the first iteration of the Hammer/LAX Art biennial. There they premiered the film "She Gone Rogue" and the film was also included in
Outfest
Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...
2013. "She Gone Rogue" includes several of Drucker's mentors including
Holly Woodlawn
Holly Woodlawn (October 26, 1946 – December 6, 2015) was a transgender Puerto Rican actress and Warhol superstar who appeared in the films ''Trash'' (1970) and '' Women in Revolt'' (1971). She is also known as the Holly in Lou Reed's hit glam r ...
,
Vaginal Davis
Vaginal Davis (born in Los Angeles, California) is an American performing artist, painter, independent curator, composer, filmmaker and writer. Born intersex and raised in South Central, Los Angeles, Davis gained notoriety in New York during the ...
, and
Flawless Sabrina.
In 2014, Drucker and Ernst exhibited "Relationship", at the
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial is a biennial exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, United States. The event began as an annual exhibition ...
. This series of photos chronicled one couple's relationship and gender transitions. The photographic series was later exhibited at Luis De Jesus Gallery, where Drucker is represented. In 2016, "Relationship" was released as a book.
Since 2013, Drucker had worked as a consultant and producer on
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
's original series
''Transparent''. Media scholar Nicole Morse argues that Drucker's use of
double casting in ''
Transparent
Transparency, transparence or transparent most often refer to:
* Transparency (optics), the physical property of allowing the transmission of light through a material
They may also refer to:
Literal uses
* Transparency (photography), a still, ...
'' brings to light
transfeminine history from the 1930s to 1994.
For this role, Drucker was also involved with writing, hiring, casting, producing, providing notes on script, offering feedback, and postproduction.
According to the
New York Times Magazine, Drucker's and Ernst's goal for
''Transparent'' is to ensure that trans people are depicted authentically on screen and that they are also working behind the scenes. Drucker mostly contributed to the plot, script, wardrobe, and casting of episode 8, "Best New Girl" from Season 1. In this episode, Drucker believed it was crucial to capture the historical tension between those who identified as male cross-dressers and those who transition. In Season 2, Drucker was involved with shaping the historical context and casting.
In 2015, Drucker joined the cast of the
E! docu-series, ''
I Am Cait
''I Am Cait'' is an American television documentary series which chronicles the life of Caitlyn Jenner after her gender transition. The eight-part one-hour documentary series debuted on July 26, 2015, on the E! network. The series focuses on th ...
''
and also served as a supervising producer on the Emmy-nominated series of docu-short entitled ''This is Me.''
In 2017, Drucker collaborated with the
ACLU,
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox (born May 29, 1972) is an American actress and LGBT advocate. She rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'', becoming the first transgender person to be nominated for a Pr ...
,
Molly Crabapple, and
Kim Boekbinder, for a video entitled history and "Time Marches Forward & So Do We".
In 2021, Drucker directed and executive produced alongside Nick Cammilleri, ''
The Lady and the Dale'', a
HBO documentary series profiling
Liz Carmichael, a trans woman who had perpetuated an ambitious con involving a
3-wheeled car.
Drucker continues her art practice and works on independent film and photography projects. Drucker focuses work on obscure aspects of the history of transgender people.
Exhibitions, film festivals, performances
* 2007- "Girly Show: Pin-ups, Zines & the So-Called Third Wave", Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art
* 2009 - NOW Fest, "P.I.G." a multimedia performance and film with Wu Ingrid Tsang, Mariana Marroquin,
REDCAT
* 2011 - 54th
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
, Swiss Off-Site Pavilion
* 2012 - "At least you know: you exist", short film,
Hammer Museum
* 2012 - "Female Trouble" curated by Dirty Looks NYC, "Fish" video (2008), Human Resources LA
* 2012 - "Zackary Drucker: At Least You Know You Exist" July 7 - September 10, 2012
MoMA PS1
MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution located in Court Square in the Long Island City neighborhood in the borough of Queens, New York City. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, the ...
, New York
* 2014 -
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial is a biennial exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, United States. The event began as an annual exhibition ...
, "Relationship", photo series with Rhys Ernst,
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–194 ...
*2019 - "School for Endurance Work,"
Cal State LA Fine Arts Gallery
*2020 - "Rosalyne" (photographs), presented at ''Orlando'', McEvoy Foundation, San Francisco, CA
*2020 - "Icons" (photographs), presented at
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is an art museum that was founded in 1914. The BMA's collection of 95,000 objects encompasses more than 1,000 works by Henri Matisse anchored by the Cone Collection of ...
, Baltimore, MD
Filmography
Film and video art
Television
Performance
See also
*
List of transgender film and television directors
References
External links
*
*"Transgender Couple Photographs Their Opposite Transitions,
ABC News from 2014
*"Meet Two of the Trans Minds Behind the Groundbreaking New Show 'Transparent'"
from 2014
*"Zackary Drucker"
Interview Magazine from 2010
*"Trading Places: Zackary Drucker and Rhys Ernst at the Whitney Biennial,
Artillery Magazinefrom 2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drucker, Zackary
Living people
American contemporary artists
American performance artists
American LGBT artists
LGBT people from New York (state)
Performance art in Los Angeles
Artists from Syracuse, New York
Transgender artists
Transgender women
LGBT television producers
California Institute of the Arts alumni
School of Visual Arts alumni
1983 births
LGBT television directors
Transgender actresses