The Scene 2017
Queer Pioneers Houston artists Jake Margolin and Nick Vaughan tell forgotten LGBTQ stories in 50 States project. By Brandon Wolf
H
ouston artists Jake Margolin and Nick Vaughan say they’ve found their calling: using their talent and passion to help change the world. “Creating something meaningful and making an impact is what drives me,” Margolin says. “If you’re not doing something important, you’re wasting your life,” Vaughan adds. Margolin and Vaughan, who are also a married couple, have long been fascinated with LGBTQ history, especially preStonewall. Now, they are merging history and art by uncovering little-known LGBTQ stories and building art installations around them. Their signature project, 50 States, will take an estimated 50 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | OutSmartMagazine.com
25 years to complete. The finished work will have 50 installations that will celebrate “lost LGBTQ narratives” from all 50 states. Since beginning the project in 2013, the artists have completed the Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas segments. “The project’s structure is one that will never get boring,” Vaughan says. TEAMing up Margolin and Vaughan met in New York City in 2005 while working with TEAM, a Brooklyn-based ensemble. Margolin was an actor and singer, and Vaughan was a set and costume designer. They recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of their 2008 marriage in Toronto.
