A LITTLE ABOUT ME
Short Bio
Golden (they/them) is a Black gender-nonconforming photographer, poet, curator, & community organizer raised in Hampton, VA (Kikotan land), currently residing in Boston, MA (Massachusett people land). They currently hold a BFA in Photography from New York University (2018). (Full Bio Here)
WHAT AM I UP TO?
Work In Progress
Golden is currently working on their new hybrid photography & poetry book, REPRISE, forthcoming from Haymarket Books in January 2025. Their solo exhibition I'M NEVER ALONE supported by the Brookline Arts Center, Mass Cultural Council, Women Photograph, and the Collective Futures Fund closes on January 13th.
WINNER OF THE QUEER|ART 2023 ILLUMINATIONS GRANT
Queer|Art is pleased to announce the winner of the fourth annual Illuminations Grant for Black Trans Women Visual Artists, Golden. The Boston-based visual artist will receive a $10,000 cash grant, professional development support, and individual studio visits with members of the judges panel to support their practice.
2023 Illuminations Grant Judge, Jonathan Lyndon Chase writes: “Golden’s visual photography evokes power, vulnerability, beauty, and glowing prowess. There are meditations on self reflection, communal embrace. The documentation on lived experiences in the Queer community and personal self expression are reminiscent of a home feeling.”
Fellow Grant Judge, Lauren Haynes continues: “Golden’s photographs stood out among this year’s very strong group of visual artists. Each image left me wanting to see more and to engage more deeply with their practice—I am excited to see how Golden’s work continues to evolve.” Learn More
2023 Lambda Literary Award Finalist
Author Signed Copies | Amazon | SPD Books
"An honest lyric, a mighty harpoon straight from the heart, Golden’s debut full-length, A DEAD NAME THAT LEARNED HOW TO LIVE weaves poems, family photographs, & self-portraits to share a journey of survival & living in the American south. Exploring themes of loss & legacy, nation & love language, forgiveness & fortitude, Blackness & being, Golden continually asks: What shifts within & around us when we choose to name ourselves & our kin here—our tragedy & triumphs, our human failures & feelings, our desires to be free?
Released on their parent’s 30th wedding anniversary (August 29th, 2022) as a dedicated love letter & living archive, this debut is an awe & ode towards southern Virginia & Eastern Shore Maryland, Black family pasts, presents, & futures, to Black queer beginnings & belongings outside and within the family home."
WINNER OF APERTURE/GOOGLE 2023 CREATOR LABS PHOTO FUND
"Google’s Creator Labs and Aperture are thrilled to announce the recipients of the second season of The Creator Labs Photo Fund—an initiative providing financial support to encourage artists at formative moments in their careers. Started in 2021 and made possible by Google Devices and Services in partnership with Aperture, the second season of the Creator Labs Photo Fund supports thirty artists working in photography and lens-based practices with a one-time $6,000 grant.
The winning artists of this year’s Creator Labs Photo Fund are:
Ramie Ahmed, Wesaam Al-Badry, Devin Blaskovich, Kierra Branker, Luis Corzo, Daniel Diasgranados, Lisa Elmaleh, Ryan Frigillana, Golden, Jeremy Grier, Avijit Halder, Oji Haynes, Jenica Heintzelman, Ramona Jingru Wang, Natalie Keyssar, Ryan Patrick Krueger, Xi Li, Ira Lupu, Yael Malka, Ashley Markle, Ashley McLean, Arlene Mejorado, Shala Miller, Clara Mokri, Colton Rothwell, Keisha Scarville, Tam Stockton, Jennifer Teresa Villanueva, Isaiah Winters, and Zhidong Zhang." Learn Mor.