I am Queen Gem Joyce thee Baddest in the Universe. This is a name I was given by my dear friend, PRIESTESS Nia I’man Smith; it is also the title of the collection I’ve conceived and am developing. I am giving myself permission to claim this name, and putting myself on the pedestal I have allowed so many others to reign.

This collaborative project transmutes archival processing into performance art. Through exploring the concept of embodying archives, I aim to demonstrate how self-empowerment and self-preservation can support the healing and transformation of ourselves and others.

This project is about the journey; the destination would mean nothing without the route. Through my vulnerability, I am mapping how I have traversed various spaces to arrive here while still becoming. My hope is for others to access the potentiality of their own maps by witnessing the ongoing development of mine.

You are invited to engage this project during my monthly installments of the Archivist After Hours: a Virtual Boudoir series! Please also regularly visit this page to research materials that will be periodically added to this project’s living archive.