Pictured: A 2020 image by Jess T. Dugan, Oskar and Zach (embrace). Photo courtesy of the artist.

In the destructive aftermath of Hurricane Milton, art continues to thrive and inspire along Florida’s Cultural Coast. While visiting a museum or seeing a show may be the last thing on some people’s minds, such activities can offer respite from the turmoil the storm has brought to the area. Amongst the arts organizations that are still open after the storm is The Ringling Museum of Art, which is free to the public on Mondays.

One of the exhibitions on view at The Ringling is Jess T. Dugan: I want you to know my story. The exhibition, which debuted in August and is on view until February 22, 2025, is an exploration of Dugan’s work, a photo-based contemporary artist. “This is a really exciting exhibition that’s composed of 21 photographs and two video works by the artist. The 21 photographs are mostly portraits and then there are a few still lifes and interiors,” says Christopher Jones, The Ringling’s Stanton B. and Nancy W. Kaplan Curator of Photography and Media Art. “These are all more or less recent photographs from about 2019-2020 onwards by the artist. There are also a few portraits that are going to be unveiled for this exhibition in particular.”

What stands out about this exhibition is how Dugan frames their subjects. Much of Dugan’s work is rooted in their experience as a queer, nonbinary person and while the exhibition does explore themes of gender identity, sexuality and masculinity, it also explores the immediate world around Dugan. Dugan’s portraiture is beautiful–the way they play with light and positioning is distinct–but decidedly unglamorous. “Part of what really struck me about Jess’s photography is that the subjects are all people that Jess knows or is in their community or are friends and family. They aren’t hired models in that sense,” says Jones. “When you look at these subjects, Jess sort of brings out an aura in a lot of ways. But when you really scrutinize it, these feel like people you could see every day. They’re not like glamor subjects, but they’re all just incredibly present and there’s a depth and sensualness to them.”

August 17 to February 22, 2025, The Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota. 

Pictured: A 2020 image by Jess T. Dugan, Oskar and Zach (embrace). Photo courtesy of the artist.

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