How D.C.’s Queer Community Finds Joy in Nature

Camping at Greenbelt Park Campground with locals

WORDS + PHOTOS BY MARIAH MIRANDA

The act of taking your community into the woods to explore and navigate a patch of wilderness together — setting up camp, foraging for food, building a fire and sleeping beside one another — is innately intimate. You’re tucked away from the pressures of the world and able to embrace self-expression fully while freeing your inner child and reconnecting with nature in the process. These photos capture friends in the local queer community coming together in nature for a collective experience of joy and exploration.

Performance artist, fine artist + co-owner of but, also

“It is a really special thing to feel the support and connection of the local queer community broadly, but also in our intimate circles. I remember it hitting me not that long ago that I now have such sweet queer friendships and closeness around me in so many ways, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is transformative and life-giving.” rexdelafkaran.com + but-also.com

Aisha White Arts organizer, deputy director of Rising Organizers + creative operations director of TILA Studios

“I love seeing queer camping groups. There are some great groups in D.C. who plan accessible trips into nature. You don’t need to buy out REI or be decked out in outdoor gear to get started. My first camping trip was with a friend in college, and we decided to do a three-day hike on the Appalachian Trail. I wore low-top Converse (the knock-off version from Target), my regular school backpack stuffed with ramen and trail mix, and a trash bag holding my sleeping bag tied to my back. We had a great time.” risingorganizers.org + tilastudios.com

Ashley Jaye Williams

Art Collective

“I love the idea of a mass wave of visual representation in mainstream culture highlighting the innate link between queerness as the truest expression of one’s nature, as it mirrors the physical ecosystem of flora and fauna. As a public artist, I am constantly talking about the power and responsibility of representation, so I think any visual representation assuring queer and POC that their joy and safety is prioritized in outdoor spaces is crucial.” ashleyjayewilliams.com + themodelmutiny.com

June 2 - August 25 // 6-8 p.m.

Modern at Art Place

FRIDAYS AT