Showcasing visibility and connection at the 2025 Trans Art Mart

To see and be seen

“The entire goal of this market is to celebrate trans people,” says Miller Potoma, Trans Art Mart’s Event Manager, “Our vendors are trans. The curators are trans. The hired staff is trans. I’m lucky to have been involved in the market since its inception in the winter of 2019.”

Speaking with BSR, Potoma describes the mission to create a collaborative and creative space that strengthens the network of local creators. “Visibility, connection, and getting paid for their work is a focus,” he says. Many Philly residents have discovered and returned to the Trans Art Mart in recent years, creating a snowball effect yielding more sales for the participants. The event will showcase a wide range of artists selling their crafts, homegoods, paintings, and clothes.

“Many of us grew up not seeing ourselves reflected anywhere,” says Keisha Lewis, one of the artists in the upcoming market, “Trans Art Mart is a space where my identity isn’t questioned, it’s understood. It’s a reminder that our creativity is power, and when we gather, that power multiplies.”

Lewis reflects on the rise of AI generated art and how the technology can be used responsibly. “I understand the concerns in the art world, and I think they’re valid. But I also believe marginalized artists deserve access to every tool that helps us express ourselves. I use AI to visualize concepts that come from my own imagination rooted in trans experience, spirituality, and memory,” Lewis explains, “AI is a tool, not a replacement for an artist. The tool can generate material, but the artist gives it meaning.”

Potoma offers a different perspective. “People with wealth and greed are funding data centers that are polluting our planet and our people,” he says, “I have very strong feelings about AI. It isn’t a part of my creative process and will not be a part of the market. Current applicants have agreed that their work is not stolen, part of an MLM or bigoted. I’m anti-capitalist and as a result anti-AI.”

While organizing dozens of Philly artists, Potoma reflects on his own creative process. “I’m a collage and mixed media artist. These days, I predominantly create digitally, using sourced images from vintage magazines and my own photos. I create on a more private scale these days. I’m focused on creating a space where other trans artists have their time to shine.”

A portion of entry fees will go to Wealth Redistribution Group, a Philly-based reparation group supporting Black trans community members.