Self-exploration

Lindsey Kurz first picked up a camera as a kid. 

“I started with a mini Kodak,” the Greenwich native said. “Then eventually got my own Canon and just kept going.” 

She started taking pictures of farms and land, but her work evolved into a passion for portrait and studio work, and led her to SUNY Adirondack’s Media Arts program.

“Now I’m fully into studio photography,” she said. “I love going in there and not coming out for hours — leaving with hundreds of photos I can really get crazy with.”

At SUNY Adirondack, Lindsey found tools to refine her craft and space to explore her creativity. Inspired by photographers like Annie Leibovitz and Irving Penn, she’s built an impressive portfolio. Her “The Duchess” was named runner-up for Best in Show in the college’s annual student art exhibition and is displayed in the H. Carl McCall Building as part of the Best of SUNY Art Exhibition.

Lindsey excels academically and is vice president of Phi Theta Kappa, a national honor society for two-year colleges. She’s also active in Adirondack Broadcast Association and Pride Club.

A lifelong theater lover, she jumped into Theater Club at SUNY Adirondack. She performed as Frank-N-Furter in one production of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and Dr. Scott in another; was Paul Kelley in “Heathers the Musical” and this semester is helping with costuming for “The Addams Family: The Musical Comedy.”

In Theater Club, she discovered another powerful form of expression: performing as a drag king. “It started as something fun,” she said. “But it turned into this really freeing experience.”

“For me, drag is about expression,” Lindsey said. “You get to step into a different persona — take off the stress of everyday life and explore a side of yourself you didn’t know was there.”

She will perform in the college’s upcoming ADK Slay.

Growing up in a small town without many LGBTQ+ resources, finding that kind of acceptance on campus means a lot. “Having spaces like Pride Club and events like ADK Slay … the energy is just incredible.”