San Francisco’s Most Painted Drag Queen to Get Four ‘More’ Murals

There’s no shortage of public street art in SF — and odds are, you’ve seen my face (and my dogs) painted across more than a few of them.

I took on the title of “The Most Painted Drag Queen in San Francisco” after hearing Sister Roma scream her moniker — “I’m the most photographed nun in the world— repeatedly at me over the years. I’ve been doing drag for over thirty years, and I’ve been honored to have multiple artists create their visions of me across various mediums.

I am an avid art collector, curating my first multi-group show at Space Gallery on Polk Street titled “Gold Plated” in 1996. It represented a rotating exhibition of works influenced by my personae. In 1997, Catharine Clark Gallery included me in a retrospective look at the couture of Mr. David titled “Out of the Closet”. Accompanying the exhibition were portraits taken by various photographers of me in the collection pieces present at the exhibition. In 2005, the SF LGBT Center honored me with a retrospective titled “Marketing a Legacy,” a visual catalog raisonné. The comprehensive show included works inspired and created for me, encompassing all mediums, including couture, photography, mixed media, painting, printmaking, found objects, etc.

I have long relished every opportunity to champion local artists, whether it was the backdrop at the legendary Booty Call Wednesday’s photo booth, my annual Pride Party, public murals, or the commissioned pieces adorning the walls of my tiny Tenderloin apartment. As part of San Francisco’s art community, I must beautify the city and celebrate its talented artists.

In 2017, the Juanita MORE! Pride Mural Project, sponsored by Cliff’s Variety Store, kicked off. It featured artists J. Manuel Carmona, Serge Gay, Jr., and Elliott C Nathan simultaneously painting three outdoor murals in San Francisco’s Castro, SOMA, and Polk Gulch neighborhoods in conjunction with my annual Pride party and as part of the beautification of the city walls of San Francisco. And it just kept rolling from there.

I met one of those artists, J. Manuel Carmona when he moved to San Francisco in 2011. I took him to the Lucky Penny on Geary Street to feed him after a long night out partying. He immediately became part of my chosen family, as I understood how challenging it is for an artist to survive in this city. I loved his artwork and believed in his ability to create and share it in his newfound home.

He most recently received the San Francisco Artist Grant from the SF Arts Commission with his “Latinx Q-eerness” project. It will consist of four public murals painted in the Mission District as a tribute to its queer history over one year in 2025. Manuel said, “My career in public art started 8 years ago with a mural portraying Juanita MORE! as a Latin drag queen helping the LGBTQIA+ communities in San Francisco. It’s only appropriate that Juanita will be painted in all four murals.”

Did everyone hear that? FOUR “MORE” MURALS. I’m beyond thrilled!

Each year during the holiday season, I commission an artist to create the annual card I send to the family. This year, that artist is San Francisco native Ryan Caldwell. I fell in love with Ryan and his work during Pride month when Saks Fifth Avenue displayed some of the couture garments Mr. David had made for me.

I knew I wanted to collaborate with him on a project from the moment I saw him painting. His style and precision are impeccable. He works as a freelance artist and surprisingly gets commission requests to paint family and pet portraits! How perfect could this collaboration be? After visiting my apartment and garden and meeting Macho, Ryan returned with this fantastic piece, ‘In the Garden of MORE!’.

Happy Holigays, you filthy animals.

Feature Image: Courtesy of Juanita MORE!

Juanita MORE!

Juanita MORE! is a denizen of the limelight. For almost three decades, the laudable hostess has blitzed San Francisco with high glamour, drag irreverence, and danceable beats that have illuminated the entire city. MORE! continues to be a heaping dollop of generosity and a sprinkle of nerve. She inspires those around her to make positive differences in their lives and communities — and doing it all with timeless elegance and an innovative spirit. Most recently, after her reign, Miss MORE! holds the title of Absolute Empress 56 of the Imperial Council of San Francisco –– one of the oldest non-profit organizations globally.

To date, MORE! has helped raise over 1 million dollars for local charities — among them GBLT Historical Society & Archives, Our Trans Youth, Q Foundation, Queer Lifespace, Transgender Law Center, and more. In addition, MORE! tirelessly fundraises for organizations in San Francisco that are adamant about helping communities in the seven-by-seven thrive, all while shining light and offering support to those who’ve been overlooked for far too long.

MORE! embodies what it means to be a conduit of connection. MORE!’ brings the people together to fundraise, celebrate community, and demand social change around San Francisco and elsewhere. Her culinary expressions are an extension of what mothers have been doing in their kitchens for generations — which, simply states, is sharing “loads of love.”