Life Drawing at Dragonfly - Model TEAGAN - Hosted by Stacey Clare

Join us for a for a life drawing class unlike any other at the gorgeous Dragonfly Cocktail Bar. Expect the unexpected...

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ANNOUNCING OUR MODEL ...local legend TEAGAN will be joining us this month, so come and meet one of the members of the union, Sex Workers United (SWU), who took Edinburgh City Council to court over their decision to shut down strip clubs in the area - and won the case.

Teagan has been a stripper for 12 years, working in 30 clubs across the UK as well as Australia. She was actively involved in preventing the nil cap policy on strip clubs in Edinburgh, and has been fighting for better working conditions in the clubs via her union. She recently started camming/online work due to its flexibility. Teagan is currently studying for a degree in business management and economics, with the goal to work in environmental economic sustainability. In her own words, "I thoroughly enjoy working in the industry and have made great friendships over the years. I'm also a mum of 2, so when I'm not working or studying, I'm spending time with my children."

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WHO ARE C U NEXT TUESDAY?

We are a new constellation of members from the sex working community who have assembled to create a life drawing class like no other. Our models and hosts are all people with lived experience of the sex industry, who have grown tired with the relentless misrepresentation of sex workers at every level of society.

Sex workers have been artists' muses for centuries but receive zero recognition from the art world for their labour. Narratives about sex work are loaded with social stigma, while sex workers' voices continue to be silenced and maligned. Policy-makers continue to create regulations without listening and consulting with sex workers, riding roughshod over our campaigns and demands. Media representations thoughtlessly continue to produce stereotypes and caricatures from our work. Members of the public all seem to have an opinion about sex work, which isn't normally informed by listening to sex workers directly. Working conditions in our industry remain poor as long as we are not recognised as workers, therefore denying us protections and rights in the workplace.

To counter this we have begun a new event to reclaim our power. We reclaim our labour from businesses that would otherwise exploit us. We reclaim our images from the art and media that appropriate our images. We reclaim our narratives from those who use our lives and stories for political gain. We resist all power structures that seek to extract value from our labour while offering us very little in return, whether material or systemic.

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PLEASE NOTE:

- This group is NOT a space to solicit, harass, or victimise our models/hosts in any way. Any behaviours that create an unpleasant atmosphere in the class will not be tolerated.

- NO PHOTOGRAPHY allowed without the express permission from the model, host. We generally discourage photos since the main purpose of the class is drawing not photography. From time to time our class organisers will take photographs for the purpose of gathering content to promote the class. On these occasions, consent will be sought from attendees at the event.

- NO excessive use of alcohol. Dragonfly Cocktail Bar is a licensed venue, BYOB is prohibited :( but we're not the fun police :)

- This event is an inclusive space, welcoming people of all gender identities, sexual preferences, race, class and levels of ability. The main bar is step-free, there is a wheel chair ramp available to enter our life drawing room and there is a disabled toilet which is wheelchair accessible.

- All materials for the class are available for £2 (free materials for students with valid ID).

- The class is led but not tutored, however if you would like to ask for feedback or advice from our hosts you can always approach them during breaks.