Boulevard Dreamers Studio Portraits
In Boulevard Dreamers (2013-ongoing), studio photographs of all the participating performers hang in the green room part of the set. Like celebrity portraits in a popular restaurant, serving as a preview (and now the residue) of the night’s events. The backdrop of these portraits, and the pavilion itself, is dotted with paint-splattered LPs created by Leenaars and Baggesen. Baggesen and Leenaars describe their project as an exploration of “how we are moved by the agency of desire and the magical allure of being in the spotlight,” and instead of showcasing high-profile celebrities the work makes celebrities of performers who are known mainly within their own local communities, including seasoned storytellers, teen poets, dancers, and young singer-songwriters. This growing collection of studio portraits are integral to the project and form an archive of an diverse and eclectic community of performers based in Chicago.
Performers include: Rebirth, Marvin Tate, Najwa Dance Corps, Dan Sullivan, Anni Holm, Dasha Filippova, In The Spirit: Zahra Baker & Emily Lansana, Jim Dorling, Plain White Tom, Michael Soto & Madeleine Aguilar, Brian Nordstrom, Mairead Case, Chicken Fat Klezmer Orchestra, The Pillowhammer, Jessica Cambell, James Hearne, Michael Green and Adam Sonderberg, Ego Mechanics, Junior Magician, Riya Jain, Lucía Mier y Terán Romero, Chiara No, Green / Shriner, Emily Hooper Lansana, Fred and Pearl Sasaki, Henry Barrett, Toni Asante Lightfoot, Post Studio Band, H1BA, Summer Tribble, The Sensational Travelers of Zion, Fffoney Fffarian: Boney M Tribute, I Yell Because I Care, Jose-Luis Moctezuma, Riya Jain, Witnesses for Christ, Jessica Cambell, Joe Barrett, Phaedra Darwish, Dina Frigo, Naomi Harvey-Turner, Angela Gawthrop, Becky Aspell, Country Priest, Christopher Gambino, and Chicago Gamelan Gadhon
