NOAH GRIGNI
freelance illustrator
they/them
Protect Trans Dreams was an art exhibition on display at the Boston Children's Museum in 2022. The show consisted of seven life-size acrylic paintings of trans kids in their dream worlds, and 21 original watercolor paintings from the children's book It Feels Good To Be Yourself. It was an honor to share my art and celebrate trans joy at the Boston Children's Museum!
In 2021 and 2022, I worked with a small group of 7 trans kids local to New England, interviewing them about their dreams and painting portraits illustrating the scenes they described. The finished portraits depict each child on their own terms, in settings of their choice. Some kids asked to be painted doing things they loved, like making music or writing stories, while others asked to be painted in intricate fantasies with specific details. At the end of the show, I gave the seven portraits to the seven kids, to keep. These paintings were gifts of affirmation from me to my community. I hope they will serve as joyful reminders of this experience, and this moment in each child's life, as time goes by. You can see the seven paintings, and read my artist statement, below.
Artist Statement:
Protect Trans Dreams: A Portrait Project by Noah Grigni
on display at Boston Children’s Museum from 4/13/22 to 7/24/22
Protect Trans Dreams is an exhibition of large-scale acrylic paintings celebrating local trans kids and their visions for the future, by trans artist, children’s book illustrator, and organizer Noah Grigni (they/them). These portraits are displayed alongside Grigni’s original watercolor illustrations from the children’s book It Feels Good To Be Yourself, written by Theresa Thorn, a book that introduces the concept of gender identity to young readers. The exhibition also features a cozy book nook, where museum visitors are invited to read, write, draw, and reflect on their own identity and dreams.
To create these portraits, Grigni connected with 7 trans kids across New England, ranging in ages from 6 to 12. Grigni interviewed them about their joy, dreams, wishes, fantasies, and hopes for the future. These paintings illustrate the ideas they described, portraying the 7 children on their own terms, in the dream worlds they imagined. Some paintings are silly and playful, while others are earnest and serious. The participating kids described creative visions that range from aspirations like making music and ending pollution, to intricate scenes of fallen angels and celestial wolves circling in the sky. The scenes depicted in these portraits, painted in soft and vibrant jewel tones, are connected by motifs of stars and flowers, and by simple circles reminiscent of halos that frame each child’s head. The halos serve as a reminder that the dreams of trans children—just like the dreams of all children —are sacred, and deserve to be nurtured and celebrated.
Grigni grew up in Georgia, and came out as a trans boy at the age of 14. They shifted into a nonbinary identity after moving to Boston at age 19, and learning from the community they found there that gender is more fluid and expansive than they had ever imagined. Grigni says the lack of trans representation in their childhood made it difficult to imagine a future for themself; this is why they struggled with self harm and suicidality as a teen. This is also why their work now focuses on celebrating trans joy, trans futures, and trans dreams. Grigni wants trans kids to know that they can do anything, that they deserve the world, and that there are strong and loving communities waiting to welcome them. With this exhibition, Grigni hopes to make space for trans kids to express themselves on their own terms, meet each other, and connect with community. This exhibition is for trans kids first and foremost, but it is also for everyone, because everyone plays a part in imagining a better future, and protecting trans kids in their right to dream.