Research Fellow María José Maldonado reflects on the legacy of her aunt, Bianca “Exotica” Maldonado, as an artist, muse, and family member. Bianca appeared frequently on '90s talk shows, speaking about her identity as a trans woman and her work as a dominatrix in New York City. Combining personal memory, oral history interviews with friends and family, and an analysis of television culture, Maldonado presents her aunt as an undeniably fierce cultural force.

Research Fellow Ruby Sutton charts the artistic development of the late Argentine artist Luis Frangella (1944–1990). Drawing on extensive research in the artist's notebooks, as well as interviews with his friends and family, Sutton provides new insight into Frangella's early life in Argentina, his move to the United States, and his role in the East Village art scene.

Research Fellow Megan N. Liberty pieces together the life and work of book artist Reginald Walker (1946–1988), who revived African bookmaking traditions in the 1970s, synthesizing avant-garde artists’ books with a non-Western methodology. Rather than an archival absence, Liberty's research uncovered a pattern of archival neglect that has plagued Walker's legacy—"materials exist, but are just waiting for the time and resources needed to process and use them."

Visual AIDS Research Fellow Eduardo Carrera investigates the artistic oeuvre of George Febres (1943-1996), an Ecuadorian artist, curator, and gallery owner who immigrated to New Orleans in the 1960s. Challenging prevailing interpretations of the artist's work, Carrera foregrounds sexuality and queerness in Febres' art.