Portraits From Boston, With Love, is now on view in the Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Fenway Gallery through September 8th. The exhibit features photo portraits by three Boston-area photographers. Their gender expansive experiences provide us with a unique lens through which to see them, their chosen family, and their communities. Qwear’s Jaypix Belmer’s self-portraits provide an example to others to let their true and best self shine through (as represented with gold). Olivia Slaughter (she/they), a Gardner Museum Artist-in-Residence in January 2024, has created portraits of their chosen family during their residency; and Ally Schmaling (they/them) has created a psychedelic love letter using color and light for those who inspire them and whom they admire within their chosen family and community.

Tonight, June 13th at 7 PM, meet the artists at Beyond The Lens: Queer, Nonbinary, And Trans Liberation, Resistance, And Community. Get tickets here.

Jaypix Belmer is a non-binary Indigenous person of color, who works in photography and design capturing the “visual soul of their subjects.” Born and raised in Boston, Jaypix photographs and engages with communities of color, LGBTQ communities, and other historically or currently excluded or disenfranchised communities in Greater Boston. Jaypix has been photographing for Qwear Fashion since 2016 (see work here).

Jaypix’s professional style combines innovative design and artistically bold portraits that shine a light on individuals, enabling confidence towards the pursuit of their own vision. Being able to capture a feeling rather than a moment is a unique aesthetic evident throughout their work. Jaypix has an extreme commitment to storytelling. Through dialogue Jaypix establishes a strong relationship with the people they photograph, which results in creative image-making. Jaypix brings awareness to public spaces and institutional complexes to generate conversations about community and unconsidered people and places in our everyday lives. When not assisting people with transformation, Jaypix works on local and national commercial projects based around anthropology, amplifying the artist identity and honoring environmental assets through archiving and exhibition to build vibrant livable neighborhoods.

Cover photo: Copyrighted: photographed self portrait by Jaypix Belmer