Baylee Woodley, PhD

Baylee is an art historian fascinated by femininities. Their research practice aims to open new possibilities for approaching representations of queer femininity that span from medieval manuscripts to modern cabaret stages. They specialize in femme theory, late medieval visual culture, and contemporary queer performance art.

Alongside being a full-time femme and a part-time drag artist, Baylee works across academic and community spaces. They are thrilled to be working at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, teaching at the University of Victoria as a sessional lecturer, and continuing to curate a digital collection of queer art histories.

Each of these positions is motivated by Baylee’s driving commitment to fostering a sense of belonging and possibility for queer students, artists, and audiences. They believe fiercely that everyone benefits from an education that invites them to consider all of the possibilities and question the structures around them: an education that is queered. They also believe that femininity is sorely underrated.

Baylee was raised on the unceded territory of the K’ómoks First Nation and now lives on the unceded territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən People also known today as the xʷsepsəm and Songhees Nations.