S. D. Holman

SD Holman (born 22 May 1963[1]), also known as Shaira Holman, is a Canadian and American artist and curator.[2][3]

Their 2014 photography exhibit BUTCH: Not Like the Other Girls, which is also an art book,[4] explored female masculinity and queer visibility in contemporary portraiture.[5]

Holman graduated from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 1990.[6]

Artistic practice

Holman's exhibition BUTCH: Not Like the Other Girls explored female masculinity and queer visibility in contemporary portraiture. The show toured internationally.[7]

Their solo exhibitions include Momento Mori, curated by Paul Wong at Capture Festival, and Pas-à-pas; not intent on arriving, which premiered at SUM Gallery in 2023.[8] Pas-à-pas was inspired by Holman’s walk across Canada following the death of their wife, Catherine White Holman, in a plane crash.[9] In 2026 SD Holman and Dr. Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa collaborated on an exhibition of Pas-à-pas; not intent on arriving, at the Comox Valley Art Gallery. Of the piece, Holman said: "Life would never be so precious without death. It is all connected."[10]

In 2025 Music for Turtles premiered as a collaboration with the pianist Dr. Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa.[11] Music for Turtles uses the Turtle as a metaphor to explore themes of ecological grief and Interbeing.[12]

Curatorial work

Holman is the founding Artistic Director of the Pride in Art (PiA) collective, 1998.[6] They are also the founding Artistic Director of the Queer Arts Festival (2007–2022).[6] In 2008 Holman organized the first multidisciplinary Queer Arts Festival.[13]

Holman founded SUM Gallery in 2018 as the Queer Arts Festival's year-round programming arm. SUM Gallery is the only queer multidisciplinary arts gallery in Canada.[14]

Awards

In 2014 Holman received the YWCA Women of Distinction Award.[15][13]

In 2025 Holman was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for, "significant contributions to the arts, culture, and human rights advocacy", by Canadian Member of Parliament Jenny Kwan.[16]

List of works

Curatorial projects

  • Vanishing Act, 2022[17]
  • It’s not easy being green, 2021[18]
  • Piano Burning, 2021[19]
  • WICKED, 2020[20]
  • Time-lapse: Posthumous Conversations, a Geoff McMurchy retrospective[21]
  • DECADEnce, 2018[22]
  • rEvolution, 2019[23]
  • UnSettled, 2017[24]
  • Drama Queer, 2016[25]
  • TRIGGER: Drawing the Line, 2015[26]

Publications

  • BUTCH: Not Like the Other Girls. (1st ed. 2014, Shooting Gallery Press, Vancouver; 2nd ed. 2020, Dagger Editions, Caitlin Press) ISBN 9781987915426

References

  1. ↑ "Item 20.21-03 - Shaira (SD) Holman". Jewish Museum and Archives of B.C. Retrieved 11 June 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ Holliday, Elizabeth (18 June 2018). "In Conversation with QAF Artistic Director SD Holman". SAD Magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "LGBTQ Curators at Museums and Art Galleries". QueerBio.com. 17 February 2025. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Holman, SD (April 2017). Butch: Not Like the Other Girls (2nd ed.). Caitlin Press. ISBN 9781987915426.
  5. ↑ da Silva, Michelle (4 April 2013). "SD Holman's BUTCH: Not like the other girls challenges traditional gender roles". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 Smith, Charlie (16 August 2021). "Mark Takeshi McGregor will succeed SD Holman as artistic director of Vancouver's Queer Arts Festival". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Larocque, JP (7 November 2014). "SD Holman is not like the other girls: Photo exhibit looks to change attitudes toward butch women". Xtra!. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Smith, Janet (18 April 2023). "SD Holman steps through grief in SUM Gallery photo-based exhibition Pas-à-pas; not intent on arriving". Stir Arts & Culture. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  9. ↑ Robin Perelle, Natasha Barsotti (1 December 2009). "Catherine White Holman 'was a light to so many': Community leader dies in float plane crash near Saturna". Xtra! Magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Article, Contributed (25 March 2026). "Acclaimed artist SD Holman explores our collective journey through grief at CVAG exhibition opening". The Comox Valley Record. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  11. ↑ Gallagher, Margaret (21 September 2025). "North by Northwest with Margaret Gallagher: Music for Turles with SD Holman and Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa". CBC Listen. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Music for Turtles - Event Listing". Vancouver is Awesome. September 2025. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  13. 1 2 Barsotti, Natasha (30 May 2014). "Queer Arts Fest artistic director nominated for YWCA award: SD Holman up for Women of Distinction Award on June 3". Xtra!. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  14. ↑ Knegt, Peter (9 May 2018). "Canada's only queer multidisciplinary gallery just opened in Vancouver — and that's quite SUMthing". CBC News. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  15. ↑ Knopp, Jericho (23 May 2014). "Artist Shaira Holman nominated for YWCA Women of Distinction award". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  16. ↑ NDP, Vancouver East (24 February 2025). "Media Release: MP Jenny Kwan Presents King Charles III Coronation Medals to Outstanding Community Leaders". Jenny Kwan, Member of Parliament, Vancouver East. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  17. ↑ Johnson, Gail (4 July 2022). "Queer Arts Festival's Vanishing Act reaches fully realized curation, at Sun Wah Centre to July 8". Stir Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ↑ Johnson, Gail (23 July 2021). "Queer Arts Festival's visual-art exhibition turns apocalyptic dread into artworks for change". Stir Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ↑ Smith, Janet (3 August 2021). "Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 things to know about the fiery Piano Burning at the Queer Arts Festival". Stir Magazine. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  20. ↑ Smith, Janet (8 July 2020). "Bold new Queer Arts Festival questions the mainstream". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  21. ↑ Takeuchi, Craig (28 October 2020). "Posthumous retrospective of groundbreaking B.C. disability artist's work opens at Vancouver queer art gallery". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 11 June 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ↑ Holliday, Elizabeth. "In Conversation with QAF Artistic Director SD Holman". SAD Magazine. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  23. ↑ 2019 Program, Queer Arts Festival (17 June 2019). "Queer Arts Festival - June 17th - 28th, 2019 at the Roundhouse. rEvolution" (PDF). Queer Arts Festival. Retrieved 11 June 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ↑ Gee, Dana (14 June 2017). "Two-spirit perspective for Vancouver's 2017 Queer Arts Festival". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  25. ↑ Griffin, Kevin (15 June 2016). "Drama Queer exhibit aims to forge emotional connection". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 11 June 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ↑ Takeuchi, Craig (28 July 2015). "Queer Arts Festival asks where do you draw the line in 2015?". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
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