Opening Reception 10/2/25 4:30-7:30
On view: 10/2/25 - 1/31/26
At the Tenderloin Museum | 398 Eddy St. SF, CA 94102
Free to attend/no registration required | All welcome
Descriptions & Guided Tours available upon request
The looks are loud, the hair is huge, and the leather is tight. The self-described “Black, blind, gay, sexy artist of San Francisco” and an unmistakable fixture of the Tenderloin scene, Lord Frederick returns to TLM for his second ever solo exhibition comprising a panoply of his trademark creations: dolls, wigs, costumes, and collage.
Tenderloin Museum is honored to welcome back Lord Frederick for a solo exhibition of recent and restored works that form a pantheon of the artist’s personal mythology and display his provocative aesthetic and distinctive handicraft. In The Return of Lord Frederick, a beefy, well-endowed centaur mingles with dainty woodland nymphs; hand-made figurines of cartoons like Underdog and Sweet Polly Purebred play with nostalgia and scale; royal red robes and crisp white frills garb lanky boudoir dolls; and seven long-necked bejeweled heads sport voluminous wigs of human hair.
These are typical elements of Lord Frederick’s cosmology: cartoons, creatures, sexy butlers, muscled cowboys, dashing pirates, and enchanting femmes… all with great hair. Black, red, and white anchor his color palette, and spiritually significant numbers–four, seven, thirteen–guide its organization. He’s totally blind yet presents himself with the utmost attention to visual detail. Lord Frederick lives his art, loves a costume, and can often be seen traversing the Tenderloin, cane in hand, dressed in leather or handmade garb that suggests pirate, cowboy, or medieval lord. His dolls are always diverse both in style and skin-color, suggesting a society that is not just inclusive but truly multi-cultural. Oftentimes these characters are based on memories from when he could see, tapping into a childlike sense of wonder and imagination. Taken as a whole, Lord Frederick’s work conjures a playful, inventive world that proves his slogan: “blind people can do!”
Both his art and personal presentation also underscore Lord Frederick’s immense resilience and ingenuity when it comes to life in the Tenderloin. He has been a resident of the neighborhood for over a decade, and despite the many challenges he’s faced–i.e. navigating supportive housing or the perilous streets as a totally blind person–he’s forged a creative practice and community that is very much rooted in the TL. Lord Frederick has been involved with such core Tenderloin groups as Skywatchers, the GLIDE Ensemble, Faithful Fools, and the Hospitality House Community Arts Program. He was recently the subject of a documentary by filmmaker James Q. Chan–shot in part by Lord Frederick using wearable camera-glasses–that chronicles his journey home to NYC to run a marathon. On top of all this, he’s a superb dancer, especially when the DJ spins good house music!
In 2023, the Tenderloin Museum presented the first solo exhibition of Lord Frederick’s art, Memory of Sight, which featured nearly 50 handmade dolls as well as drawings and poems. It was one of TLM’s most engrossing art exhibitions and told a powerful story about a totally blind artist making his way in the Tenderloin.
The Return of Lord Frederick gives us another vantage into the life of a person who has become an essential Tenderloin artist, representing the struggle, perseverance, and individuality that is indicative of the TL and its community members. The show is also a tribute to the people and communities who have inspired Lord Frederick and helped him actualize his creative visions and personal goals. We’ll celebrate the opening of this new exhibition on October 2, 2025 from 4:30-7:30 during the SF First Thursday Art Walk–join us!