On March 26, 2020, Annelisa Roseen transformed her appearance to commemorate the birthday of Gloria Steinem. Referencing photos, videos, and biographies, Roseen unknowingly launched a 365-day journey of self-discovery. “I needed a distraction from the mounting dread that was COVID-19. I transformed and photographed myself into artists, actors, authors, activists, and anarchists—the famous and the infamous—spanning hundreds of years, backgrounds, genders, identities and abilities, pop-culture phenoms and unsung heroes.” From March 26, 2020 to March 26, 2021, Roseen applied her makeup and costume skills to alter her appearance. The resulting 365 photographs line the corridor walls, a documentation of a year of uncertainty, voyeurism, idolization, and embodiment of the other.

Annelisa Roseen holds a Bachelor of Arts from the College of St. Benedict in English, Gender Studies, and Theatre Art. She is a playwright, director, dancer, costumer, and actor with over twenty years of experience teaching. Roseen lives in Duluth, Minnesota where she directs the BOLD-choice Theatre Company, an outreach theater group that creates original plays incorporating social justice issues and disability pride.

Image Credit: Annelisa Roseen, "Lucille Ball" (top) & "Liberace" (bottom), digital photography, 2020–2021