Artist Laura Plad
Laura Plad’s Fabulous, Sparkly Sculptures
by Steve Desroches
As a child Laura Plad couldn’t get enough of RuPaul’s Drag Race. The bright colors, the glamour, the sequins; at nine years old it just had her mesmerized. Already gravitating toward visual art, she saw the drag queens on the screen as living works of art. She immediately began to beg her parents to take her to see a drag show. While supportive, her parents explained that most drag shows were too late at night, usually in a venue where one must be over 21, and that they might not be suitable material for a child. Growing up in Medford, just outside of Boston, she knew that there were drag shows nearby, but alas they were out of reach. And so she continued to access drag however she could, asking for magazines, books, and of course, watching every episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Of all the queens that came and went on the show, young Laura developed a fascination for Raja, a Los Angeles-based drag queen known for her fashion sense that is infused with her Indonesian background and her childhood in Bali. And then one day, eureka! Now 13 years old, she saw an advertisement for the Whale Extravaganza, a drag revue fundraiser for the Center for Coastal Studies to be held at Provincetown Town Hall. What’s more is that the 2013 event featured none other than Raja. It was billed for people of all ages, it was held early in the evening, and it was only a ferry ride across Cape Cod Bay. Her parents quickly agreed and soon she was sitting breathlessly awaiting the arrival of her drag obsession.
“When she finally stepped out on stage it was a heart-stopping moment,” says Plad. “I got really quiet when I met her for the photo op. It was so cool. I was star struck. I felt like I was meeting the biggest star in the world.”
Plad was hooked on drag for certain. Now, at 25, the multimedia artist and illustrator is still living la vie en fabulous in every way. Her voice vibrates with excitement, gratitude, and disbelief that now it’s her that is making a splash in Provincetown. Last year Plad had her first fine art show at Dozen Studio Gallery over Carnival Week with Wigs!, an exhibition of hand-crafted sculptures of fabulously bedazzled wigs on a bust. The show sold out in days and led to a long list of commissions. And she’s returning with a brand-new incarnation of Wigs! this Carnival, in what is sure to be another exhibition not to be missed.
The sculptures themselves are every bit as striking as a drag queen. They each measure about 15” x 10” and are made out of a proprietary mixture of paper maché clay, painted with an acrylic paint, and hand-embellished with glass rhinestones. Each “wig” is mounted permanently onto a hand-cast plaster bust, so they are not meant to ever actually be worn. And each sculpture comes with a care kit and instructions on how to maintain the sculpture over time.
While these are works of art and not functioning head pieces, the idea was born out of something that Plad did once don. Plad also designs fashion and costumes, and would on occasion get dressed in drag to go out with friends for a night on the town in Boston. Wigs, good ones, are expensive. So, she crafted one out of paper maché and bedazzled it, keeping it short enough that the immoveable material was functional. While she was a student at Lesley University at the time, one of her professors Keith MacLelland, now owner of Dozen Studio Gallery, encouraged her to pursue making that kind of wig into sculptures. And when she did, he offered her a show. But something else happened. Drag queens starting asking who made her outfits and when she said that they were her own creations, they began to hire
her for original looks.
“It was a way for me to show off my work,” says Plad about going out in drag. “It was a conversation starter. It helped get me noticed in the community in Boston. I can’t believe it, but now I have people who were idols to me as clients.”
Ever since she was of age, Plad would hit the drag shows in Boston and Provincetown developing a love for the art form outside of just what she saw on RuPaul’s Drag Race, though she’s thrilled that she has made outfits for cast members on the show, including several for the upcoming new season that begins in January. And drag queens have sung the praises of her Wig! creations, including Raja, as well as Miss Richfield 1981 who commissioned a sculpture of her own iconic wig. Plad lets out a staccato sigh mixed with a laugh. She believes in her talent and work ethic, but can’t quite believe that she gets to do what she does and is now firmly planted, and respected, in the art and drag world. It’s a glittery dream come true.
“I am a maximalist, I guess you could say,” says Plad. “I love things that are bold and over the top. I love sparkle. Drag is an art that incorporates every facet possible of what I love.”
Wig! is at Dozen Studio Gallery, 142 Commercial St., August 15 – 26. An opening reception is planned for Friday, August 15, 6 – 8 p.m. For more information call 802.558.7399 or visit dozenstudiogallery.com For more on Laura Plad and her other work visit lauraplad.com.
