Chris E. Vargas

Chris E. Vargas is an Assistant Professor of Art at Western Washington University, affiliated with the College of Fine and Performing Arts. He is the Executive Director of MOTHA (Museum of Transgender Hirstory & Art), an institution dedicated to trans art and cultural contributions. His work merges humor, performance, and mainstream media to explore queer and trans experiences in historical and cultural contexts.

• Education: MFA in Art Practice (UC Berkeley, 2011); BA in Film & Digital Media (UC Santa Cruz, 2006)

Research interests focus on trans and queer representation, cultural memory, and institutional critique. Notable projects include the web sitcom Falling In Love...with Chris and Greg (2008–2013) and the film Criminal Queers (2015), which interrogate queer identities and activism. He has received prestigious awards like the Creative Capital Award and Guggenheim Fellowship.

Grants include a $50,000 Creative Capital Award (2018) for his project Transgender Hirstory in 99 Objects, combining exhibition and book formats. MOTHA’s exhibitions and collaborations expand trans narratives through art and scholarship.