Fresh Meat Productions is thrilled to announce our 2026 FRESH WORKS! Commissioned Artists! We awarded grants to these 4 brilliant artists, activists and ensembles to create new work: B. DeVeaux, Pangaea, Shawn Lee, and JanpiStar.
FRESH WORKS! Commissions support the creation of new work by performing artists, with a focus on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) artists, and with a focus on trans and LGBTQI2S+ artists. We present these new works at our annual FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL!
Save the date! We will present the world premieres of these new works at events throughout the year including:
- 2026 FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL of trans, queer and community performance (June 17-19 at Z Space, SF): premieres by B. DeVeaux, Pangaea, Shawn Lee, and JanpiStar.
All events are wheelchair accessible; all events will offer ASL interpretation; all events have wheelchair accessible, all-gender bathrooms; all events will require and provide KN95 masks. FRESH WORKS! Commissions, like all of Fresh Meat Productions’ programs and activities, do not discriminate based on race, gender or disability.
B. DeVeaux
B. DeVeaux is an Oakland-based vocalist and songwriter whose work blends neo-soul, R&B, and atmospheric storytelling. Raised between cities, they developed a voice shaped by movement, resilience, and an instinct for world-building through sound. Their debut album, Chrysalis, available now on Bandcamp, offers a reflective coming-of-age journey grounded in emotional clarity and artistic intent. On January 23rd, B DeVeaux will debut at SFJAZZ with Jazmine Sullivan’s FEARLESS, bringing their immersive approach to the stage. Through their music, B DeVeaux invites listeners to experience their evolving sonic vision in performance. Instagram: @_bdeveaux
Pangaea
Pangaea is a multifaceted Bay Area artist. As a mixed Black trans woman, she infuses her lived experiences into her singing, writing, costuming and set design, drag, and activism. Her work works to uplift Black and Brown, trans, and queer artists, by helping to build vibrant, inclusive creative spaces. She’s also one-fourth of the Bay Area collective The House of Perception. She can also accurately interpret the smell of any dream but don’t ask.
Shawn Lee / Bay Area Independent Chinese Dancers
Shawn Lee is the Artistic Director of Bay Area Independent Chinese Dancers, a collective that helps young adult Chinese dancers tell their own stories in original choreography and reinterpretations of derived works, firmly rooted in the Bay Area, but connected to peoples overseas. Shawn has trained as a Chinese dancer and choreographer for 10 years and is the Artistic Director of Bay Area Independent Chinese Dancers, which democratizes traditional arts by helping artists tell their own stories. Shawn’s focuses on pushing definitional and general boundaries in Chinese dance, challenging ahistorical unions of religious tradition and Westphalian nationalism or gendered normativity.
JanpiStar
JanpiStar was born and raised in Puerto Rico they moved to Oakland California to joined AXIS Dance Company in 2018.Janpi has been commissioned in the Bay Area by different festivals & organizations like : Queering Dance Festival on 2019, 2020 & 2022 and by The FreshMeat Production in 2021 , 2022 & 2023. In the last two year JanpiStar has develop a new way to express themselves, doing Drag shows Janpi has performed at the MOMA SF, The Academy fo Science and Oaklash 2023 & 2024.