Earl Dax
Native New Mexican. Recovering New Yorker.
International Fagabond.
Less business as usual.
I spent nearly 2 decades working in performance and nightlife as a curator, producer, promoter and artist manager. I had a messianic fervor – a passion for the work and the community of artists making it – that allowed me to look past the the personal toll the lifestyle took. (I was also having A LOT of fun.) With the election of Donald Trump, the escalation of the climate crisis and other “existential threats” I began to question what I was doing. Unlike REM, I did not feel fine with what seemed like the plausible coming end of the world. My mantra became “less business as usual,” and I became a self-proclaimed fagabond.
When Trump was elected I moved to Montreal for a year and a half and marveled at friends who could go 24 hours without returning a text! (“Oh, I left my phone at home, went to the park for a picnic..” Say what?!?!) I volunteered for a month at Omega Institute, and I traveled to Uruguay for a month-long earthship building academy. I worked as a concierge for a glamping outfit in Moab, Utah., and when COVID hit I moved to Kauai where I worked on a series of organic farms. When Omega reopened after as the pandemic waned I returned to a full time position in the Production Department, working for 3 summers and traveling and volunteering during the winters.
Earl's Interests & Experiences
Natural Building & Intentional Communities
My interest in natural building developed as a child in New Mexico where many of my friends lived in adobe houses. In 2019 I completed a month-long earthship building academy in Uruguay, and recently I spent 4 months as a volunteer at an ecovillage and ashram in NE Thailand helping to construct an eco-kindgergarten classroom using natural building techniques (adobe, cob) and a green roof.
Nonprofit Ninja
Barefoot Artists
Currently I work part time for Barefoot Artists, the nonprofit created by celebrated Chines-American artists and community builder Lily Yeh to support her international projects. The organization is very small, so I do everything from social media to web design to content writing. Recently I accompanied Lily to the TED Conference in Vancouver where she was a featured speaker. I traveled with her to China in Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 to work on projects in Beijing , Hunan Province and the Tibetan Plateau.
Omega Institute
Production Department
For three summers (2021 - 2023) I worked as the Shift Lead Manager in the Production Department at Omega Institute, a pioneering holistic retreat center in the Hudson Valley. Our department "set the container" for workshops and events, working closely with A/V and Faculty Support. I lived on campus with over 150 other seasonl staff members, and spearheaded the creation of a Seasonal Staff Council.
EARL ON VINTAGE ANNALS PODCAST
Earl joins host Rich Wexler to interview Pulitzer and Tony-nominated playwright, actor and performance artist Taylor Mac. Earl joins the conversation in earnest around 21:00.
Performance Curator, Producer & Artist Manager
In 2005 I threw myself on the pyre of New York City's vibrant downtown performance scene. Through a combination of pluck, luck, passion and a bit of talent I quickly established myself as a performance curator and event organizer, largely working in queer context with a focus on cabaret and performance art.
Queer Activism & Performance
My political consciousness began to develop when I moved to Philadelphia in the late 90's. I was part of a direct action group called Grassroot Queers [sic] that shared office space with ACT-UP Philly. I moonlighted as a drag performer, Enya Buttox: The Drag Queen for Social and Economic Justice, combining my love of performance with my newfound passion for activism.
Photography & Video Documentation
My earliest forays into photography were 35mm black and white process through classes at Fleisher Art Memorial with teachers including Gabe Martinez. I won first prize in a student exhibition for a double exposure print. I studied video with Paul Chan at UPenn, and the short dragumentary I made in his class – "Who's Enya Buttox?" – was screened at the Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. More recently my photo of Taylor Mac during their 24-Decade History of Popular Music was included in the Family Show at La Mama Galleria in NYC.
