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Who was Chavela Vargas? Born in Costa Rica in 1919, Chavela moved to Mexico at age 17 to pursue a career in music. She often presented with a more masculine style of dressing which caused a lot of tension in her home and ultimately led to her decision to leave. Chavela began singing ranchera music on the street, dressing as she wished. Ranchera music was a musical genre that only men dominated, typically as love songs to women. This style of music was viewed as an outlet for men to express emotions they otherwise felt too ashamed to express. Only when she was 30 did Chavela begin to gain recognition for her incredible musical skill. However, her presence in the music scene was most controversial as women didn’t sing Ranchera music. She would go on stage, singing love songs written by men for women refusing to change the pronouns. She gained notable recognition for her talent and eventually became a prominent member of the music scene, and made many connections with other famous artists. During this time she met and had a brief relationship with Frida Kahlo. She eventually became consumed with alcoholism and spent fifteen years in recovery. In 1991, she made her way back to the stage and continued playing in her old age. She publicly came out as a lesbian at the age of 81, although she was very open about her life with her community long before this. At our sip & collage event this June, participants learned about the life and art of Chavela Vargas while creating collage art inspired by her story. She is a notable figure in queer history and we honor her contributions to art and the LGBTQ+ community.