An Evening with Tourmaline

Upon the recent release of her bestselling biography Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson (Tiny Reparations Books, Penguin Randomhouse 2025), NYU's Department of Performance Studies presents an artist talk and conversation with acclaimed artist, writer and activist Tourmaline on Monday, October 20th, 7:00pm at 19 W 4th, NY, NY Room 101. Bringing together Tourmaline's filmmaking, performance, writing and research, this event features a reading by Tourmaline from Marsha, and a screening of her films featuring archival representations and fabulations of Marsha P. Johnson's art, life and contributions in Happy Birthday, Marsha! (2017, co-directed by Sasha Wortzel) and Pollinator (2024, Whitney Biennial).

Organized by the Department of Performance Studies, and co-sponsored by: the Archives Onstage series by NYU Skirball and the NYU Division of Libraries; the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality; and the Department of Art & Public Policy.

A Guggenheim Fellow and TIME100 Honoree, Tourmaline is an artist, filmmaker, and national bestselling author whose work spans high art and pop culture. Tourmaline’s art is in the permanent collections of The Met, MoMA, Tate, and the Whitney, among other museums. Her influence in contemporary art has also been showcased in both the Venice Biennale and the Whitney Biennial. Tourmaline’s award-winning films — including the critically acclaimed Happy Birthday, Marsha!; Salacia; Atlantic is a Sea of Bones; and Mary of Ill Fame — have been widely recognized for their unique blend of historical narrative and speculative futurism. Tourmaline’s commercial film projects have premiered at the MTV Video Music Awards, and she has led the creative for brand campaigns with Fortune 500 companies, such as a film series presented by Unilever on the topic of LGBTQ+ communities in rural America.

Tourmaline’s portfolio also extends to fashion: her trans-inclusive swimwear line with Chromat debuted at New York Fashion Week with glowing praise from Vogue. The latest collection launched in April 2025. Tourmaline’s new book MARSHA (May 2025) is the first definitive biography of the revolutionary Black trans activist Marsha P. Johnson. It was named a National Bestseller, received a Starred Review by Publishers Weekly, and was selected by The New York Times for inclusion in the Nonfiction Spring Book Preview. Her children’s book ONE DAY IN JUNE (May 2025), also inspired by Marsha P. Johnson’s life and activism, received a Starred Review by Publishers Weekly. The recipient of the BlackStar Luminary Award, Stonewall Visionary Award, HBO Queer Art Prize, and the Baloise Art Prize at Art Basel, Tourmaline crafts worlds across a variety of media that center pleasure, possibility, and transformation. She is a sought-after speaker at institutions like Princeton, Yale, MoMA, The Met, UC Berkeley, Smith College, and Outfest, and has been frequently featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Artforum, and TIME Magazine. A former leader of the Trans Health Campaign at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Tourmaline has built a career rooted in community organizing and trans liberation, and is a transformative voice in movements for racial, economic, and gender justice.

Tourmaline is a graduate of Columbia University and lives in Miami with her partner Cameron and their cat Jean.

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