Meet Jesse Pallotta | Artist & Founding Director of QT Art Camp

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jesse Pallotta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesse, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
QT Art Camp is an emerging project that provides queer and trans youth with free art workshops. It was founded in Spring 21′ after a sweeping wave of anti-trans legislation targeting youth. 2021 became one of the worst years in recent history for anti-LGBTQ legislation on a state level. Rather than using my resources to fight bills, I wanted to create a safe space for youth to be able to learn art skills, express themselves creatively, and be in community with other queer and trans youth. Experiences that supported me while struggling as a youth. In NYC, there is not a LGBT organization that exclusively dedicates its resources to youth art and QT Art Camp wanted to fill that gap.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a sculptor, activist, and community organizer based in Brooklyn, NY. In 2016 I graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA and received a degree in studio art, art history, and philosophy. For almost a decade, I’ve studied figurative arts at small ateliers around the country. Grand Central Atelier, founded by Jacob Collins, has an immersive figurative sculpting program which I am currently enrolled in. Although I have experience with painting and drawing, sculpting in water-based clay has been one of my favorite mediums due to its tactile sensibility and the impact that sculptures can have within a space. In the summer of 2021, I installed a bust of the LGBT trailblazer, Marsha P. Johnson in Christopher Park which became the first public sculpture of a trans person in New York City.

Trans culture has been a huge part of my story. Having an interest in trans history, and being trans myself, I have a natural desire to cultivate objects and activities within the trans community. In 2021, the government introduced the largest amount of anti-trans legislation in history. The attack on trans youth reminded me of the importance of trans spaces and was the inspiration to create my current project QT Art Camp. QT Art Camp is a project that brings free art workshops to queer and trans youth. We have hosted workshops on photography, portrait drawing, ballroom dancing in New York City and Chicago. Creating an organization, even a small one, has been more work that I anticipated and it would have not been possible without the ongoing support of my friends and co-workers. There is a high amount of pressure to produce projects quickly, and to be on external deadlines set by people who are far removed from producing the work. A large part of my professional development has been deconstructing that other people can dictate the pace and timing that I work, as well as tuning into my intuition to release projects on a timeline that is appropriate. Patience is a trait I did not have when I was younger, and I’ve begun to appreciate the slow burn a long term project can have.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my friend was visiting me in Brooklyn I would take them on the art tour of their life. Showing them small galleries in Chelsea, and large museums like The Met. Local Brooklyn coffee shops would be in my itinerary as well since a lot of my time is spent grabbing coffee with friends. Some of my favorite restaurants in the city are The Little Mermaid and The Cafeteria. Running around the city is exciting, but I also love to kick back in my loft with my Shiba Inu, Eva, who is one of my best friends.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The numerous LGBTQ activist and organizers that have come before me.

Website: qtartcamp.com

Instagram: instagram.com/cherubnextdoor