Qualifications of Being Release Party
This event took place on Feb 14, 2020
** Free and all-ages! Please RSVP; seating will be first-come, first-served. **
Series -
Visiting Artists
Discussion
** Co-presented with Longhouse Media! **
About
Tonight, we celebrate self-love with community at the release of Qualifications of Being, a comic-based zine detailing Raven Two Feathers’ decades long journey to acknowledging who they are as a trans and Two Spirit person, and learning to love themselves. We welcome people of all ages and families to join us in a celebration of all the forms love comes in and Indigenous resilience. Alcohol is available at concessions in the lobby, but drugs and alcohol will not be allowed in the theatre during the presentation.
Light Native based food will be served.
Featuring Two Spirit drum group, Gathered in This Place.
Recounting the creation process with the authors.
About the project:
This project came out of a meeting between Raven Two Feathers (writer), Jonny Cechony (illustrator), and Tracy Rector (mentor). Raven needed to find a way to creatively talk about all the changes going on in their life leading up to top surgery. Tracy suggested a graphic novel, along the lines of Persepolis. Jonny chimed in that he could draw it. Raven agreed and they were off to create their first zine.
The story concerns how Raven grew up avoiding the idea of puberty and the boobs that would come along with it. They didn’t want their true self covered up. As things began growing, expectations of who they would become came down on them. They thought they had found relief when they came out as liking femmes, only to realize that wasn’t the whole picture. Instead they were led on a journey inward to find they are more than qualified to be themselves.
About the creators:
Raven Two Feathers (he/they) is a Two Spirit, Emmy award winning filmmaker. Being intertribal encourages their exploration of Indigenous roots, wherever they go. They have created various forms of content, flowing between fiction and non-fiction, always centering story along the way. They began writing in school, but stories were tumbling around their mind long before then. As they continued on their artistic journey, they came upon film. Once settled into the rhythm of motion pictures, they realized some of their stories wished to present themselves differently: comics. And so, they continue their growth, learning through each project, and the people they meet along the way.
Jonny Cechony (he/him) has been drawing, filming, and playing music since he was in elementary school. He liked drawing chaotic little comics that made no sense to anyone but himself, and often had characters breaking out of their panels. He learned to tell stories people could understand when he joined the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program, where he also met Raven. Jonny is currently pursuing a degree in Digital Audio Engineering at Shoreline Community College and figuring out how to best utilize all of his creative skills. This is his first published comic and he hopes you like it.