2026 SPE Annual Conference: Catalyst for Exchange
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print this pageFraming Perspectives: Picturing Sex Workers
Erica McKeehen
Saturday, October 21 - 3:00PM to 4:00PM
RM 905
Chicago burlesque performer, sex worker, and artist Erica McKeehen presents her research-based visual practice, which investigates how image-makers throughout the history of the medium have depicted sex workers and stripteasers in the documentary tradition.
In her own work, McKeehen creates self-portraits and photographs her peers who navigate a range of roles within the sex industry, combining images with written narratives to present nuanced portrayals of their lives. She also documents the resurgence of live burlesque in Chicago to offer a contemporary, insider view into the charged, nocturnal life of an artform that continues to challenge the status quo 150 years after it was first introduced in America.
In conjunction with the presentation, McKeehen will facilitate an intimate conversation with two of her closest collaborators, fellow performers Kitty Tornado and Secret Mermaid, who will discuss their individual experiences authoring their bodies through collaborative image-making and performance while navigating public persona.
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Erica McKeehen
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