'Heroes With Bling' Dazzles at Market Street Gallery

Before glitter was a political statement, showering over the heads of anti-gay politicians like Newt Gingrich, it was -- and remains -- an evocation of light, life, and delight: A stand-in for fairy dust, and a quick and handy way of creating the brilliance and allure of a fireworks display, if only in a single room.

The glamour of glitter is back, and just in time for Pride. San Francisco artists Michael J. Kruzich, Jose A Guzman Colon, and Marianne Larochelle present glitter and glam at Market Street Gallery with a new show, "Heroes With Bling," running through June 29 and featuring a Pride kickoff on June 23.

"Drag queens or drag personalities, we love them all!" declares the press release for the event, which is posted on Facebook. "They are bigger than life! They are bubbly (and a lot of the time, they drink bubbly)! They project an intense amount of positive energy inspiring everyone to smile from ear-to-ear and happily wave right back at them!

"Drag queens are the sparkling diamonds of the queer community's tiara; the shine, the light, the energetic force which makes all queer events super special," adds the release. "They do so much for the queer community, Market Street Gallery created this exhibition to celebrate them! This exhibition is our way of saying "thank you" to our "Heroes with Bling" during the entire month of June, Pride 2011."

Guzman and Larochelle would know a thing or two about drag performers after creating an entire coffee table book around them, "Glam Gender," which was published last year. The exhibit features one of the "Glam Gender" models, Daffney Deluxe, along with one of Kruzich's award-winning work "Miss Anita Cocktail."

The kickoff event starts Pride with a burst of glamour, so grab your glitter and head over to the Market Street Gallery, located at 1554 Market Street. The June 23 event starts at 6:00 pm and continues until 8.