Beatrice Thomas at Radar Reading Series
Channel: San Francisco Public Library
Date: 2017-08-13

Beatrice Thomas a.k.a Black Benatar is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, performer, and thinker. Thomas received her M.F.A in Design from the University of Texas, and her B.A. in Film/Video/Theater from Hampshire College where she honed her non-traditional storytelling skills. Themes of duality, alternate futures and re-visioning reality characterize her work. Thomas attributes John Waters, Octavia Butler, Marlon Riggs, and science fiction and fantasy genres as key influencers. As a drag queen/performance artist, Thomas uses a grotesque female-bodied alter ego, Black Benatar aka Patti Divine to conceptually explore race ethnicity and culture in America. She is a host of Black Love a quarterly night of queer and trans artists from the African diaspora at Strut the Castro's mens health clinic. As a director, Thomas’ work centers the perspectives of queers and people of color.Thomas works to promote equity and inclusion on the national arts platform, leading skill-building workshops and consulting for arts organizations. She is currently a fellow of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals Leadership Fellows Program