Katie Diamond is a radical queer comic artist and graphic designer. She strongly believes in the direct cross-over of art and politics, and uses this dogma in her every-day art practice. She's done many illustrations and cartoons about gender, sexuality, and sex education. She's also designed many pamphlets, flyers, and posters for various local organizations.
Diamond resides part-time at the North Star Music Cafe, handling their communications, design, and publicity.
You could formerly find her at the League of Young Voters, as the organization's Communications Director. At the League, Diamond used her graphic design skills and traditional media outlets to educate the public and publicize the League's actions and events.
Throughout Greater Portland, Diamond is organizing and implementing exciting local events. She's the organizing force behind the Portland Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School, and has been a co-producer of the Portland Femme Show for the past two years.
Diamond graduated from the Maine College of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. At MECA, she obtained the nickname of "Megaphone" because of her intense involvement in the communities of the school, and Greater Portland. Using illustration as her springboard, Diamond has organized a Voting Education and Registration Drive; put into action a huge Sex Education collaborative project; taught art classes to disadvantaged youth; painted a mural with elementary and high school students at their school; and designed posters and pamphlets for local non-profits.
Stylistically, she has been heavily influenced by cartoonist Alison Bechdel; comic artist Adrian Tomine; cartoonist Roberta Gregory; comic art historian Trina Robbins; and the late printmaker Kathe Kollwitz. Politically, Diamond looks to Kathe Kollwitz, as well as groups such as the Guerilla Girls and subRosa for inspiration as an artist-activist-advocate.
Get your copy of "Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation." In a creative collaboration with queer vaudevillian cohort Johnny Blazes, Diamond's comics move to the story-telling level to aid in telling Blazes' story of genderqueeritude and self-discovery.