“31 Federal Workers” is a series of portraits that was painted daily in the month of January (2026). Each portrait is of a current or former federal worker who is continuing to protect civil services and other federal employees. These portraits were submitted voluntarily, along with any texts they wished to share and include stories from the EPA, CDC, NIH, and more. This project showcases federal workers continuing to protect their country while they themselves are being vilified and changes in regulations restrict their abilities to work. For example, many of the featured federal employees were fired unexpectedly in 2025. Their stories and the impact of their lost expertise are described in their writings. “31 Federal Workers” showcases the brave citizens who are standing up for what they believe in.
“31 Federal Workers” was born because of the disconnect federal workers felt when interacting with people not directly working for the federal government. By featuring their stories and faces, this project aims to change people’s perception of who federal employees are. Among federal workers, this portrait series celebrates a somewhat hidden community of fellow colleagues. For others, this exhibit exposes stories by federal workers that have largely been obscured.
Through 2026, this collection was exhibited at:
Fun-A-Day DC at Rhizome (Washington, DC)
Sounding Queer at Rhizome (Washington, DC) – Featured in Metro Weekly.
22 Federal Workers through Crow’s Nest (Virtual; Baltimore, MD) – Still accessible online
(Un)Altered Books in Anderson Acadeic Commons at Colorado University (Denver, CO)
Click on the individual images or names to read their stories.
A single book was made, hand bound using drumleaf binding to preserve the writing spread across the pages. This was exhibited in Colorado as part of the (Un)Altered Books exhibit.
