Skip to main content
Washington University in St. Louis
Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

Create an account to add artworks to your personal collections.

Enter your email address below to recieve an email to reset your password.

An email has been sent to your inbox to reset your password.

image alt

Jess T. Dugan

JD and Steve, from the portfolio Every breath we drew

2020, published 2022

On View in James M. Kemper Gallery, Room 3

image alt
1 / 1

Drawing from their own experiences as a queer and nonbinary person, the St. Louis–based artist Jess T. Dugan creates photographic portraits that present nuanced impressions of gender and sexuality, exploring the power of identity, desire, and intimate connection. Every breath we drew is a limited-edition portfolio comprising portraits of individuals and couples, self-portraits, and still lifes. The portfolio is a continuation of Dugan’s ongoing project of the same name, begun in 2011, using medium- and large-format cameras to create a deep, sustained engagement with the subjects. While many of their photographs of the past decade were made in private, interior spaces, restrictions brought by the coronavirus pandemic led to a productive shift as Dugan began to photograph models outside in public parks as well as rural locations in Missouri. In doing so, the artist positions queer life and love and gender nonconformity within the public realm during a wave of acutely anti-LGBTQ+ legislation throughout the United States. [Permanent collection label, 2023]

  • Artist Jess T. Dugan (American, b. 1986)
  • Title JD and Steve, from the portfolio Every breath we drew
  • Date 2020, published 2022
  • Medium Inkjet print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Pearl paper
  • Edition description 9/20
  • Dimensions sheet | 20 x 16 in.
  • Part of Every breath we drew
  • Credit line University purchase with funds from Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, 2022
  • Object number WU 2022.0007.0001.0005
  • Currently on View James M. Kemper Gallery, Room 3

New Acquisitions in Contemporary Art
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 07/19/2023 James M. Kemper Gallery, Room 3

Received 10/11/2022; proposed purchase approved by ACC 12/5/2022
Jess Dugan (St. Louis, MO)

Inscription Verso, in archival ink: signed, titled, and numbered

This artwork record may be incomplete or need refinement. Our staff actively researches the collection and revises records when new information is available. If you have questions or comments about this record, please contact us.

Related Content

go to Gender and Sexuality page
2022_0007_0001_0009.jpg
Theme

Gender and Sexuality

go to New Acquisitions in Contemporary Art page
2022_0004a-d.tif
Exhibitions

New Acquisitions in Contemporary Art

July 19, 2023

Image Reproduction Request Form

To request image materials and/or permission to reproduce a work of art from the Museum's collection, please complete and submit the form below. The information you provide here will enable us to process your request and assess the appropriate images, permissions, and any applicable fees. 

Typically, image requests that do not require new photography can be completed within three weeks. Whenever possible, rush orders may be accommodated, although additional fees may apply.

If you have questions, please contact Kristin Good, associate registrar, at kristin.good@wustl.edu.

Checking this box constitutes a legal signature. By checking this box, the applicant agrees to abide by all terms and conditions under which permission is granted to reproduce works of art in the collection of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, and that permission is contingent upon payment of any applicable fees.

* Required fields

test View details