About Queer Time Capsule
Our mission is to document and amplify the queer renaissance - where art, identity and activism intersect.
Led by photographer Sarah Deragon and creative collaborator JT Toland, Queer Time Capsule is a living archive that uplifts the voices, images, and impact of LGBTQ+ communities. Through photography, storytelling, and intentional curation, the project documents our past, reflects our present, and imagines a future where queer lives are not only visible—but celebrated.
Sarah brings over 13 years of experience as a portrait photographer and educator, known for capturing people at their most authentic. Her work challenges conventional standards of representation and centers those too often pushed to the margins. JT brings a fierce dedication to equity, community-building, and systems that sustain creative work—amplifying the stories that shape culture from the inside out.
Together, Sarah and JT are building a project that resists erasure and radiates pride. In a time of political backlash and cultural rewriting, Queer Time Capsule is a creative act of preservation, visibility, and joy.
Because our stories are power. Our influence is real. And the future is queer!
Silent Screams: The Backstory
Silent Screams began as part of my self-portrait practice. Right around the time Trump was elected, I took a photo of myself mid-scream—raw, visceral, and completely unfiltered. I didn’t know what it would become at the time, but I knew I loved that image. It felt like a release, a reckoning, and a refusal to be quiet.
That photo became part of our Queer Time Capsule exhibition at the Petaluma Arts Center, and later, someone suggested I submit it to the Unapologetically Queer Pride Show at the Harvey Milk Photo Center in San Francisco. Not long after, curator Nicola Bosco reached out and asked if she could use my self-portrait as the lead image for the show—across all the advertising and promo materials. I said YES without hesitation.
Then my collaborator JT Toland had a brilliant idea: what if we set up a pop-up portrait station at the opening and invited people to scream? That night, 75 people stepped in front of the camera and released something powerful—grief, rage, joy, resistance. And just like that, Silent Screams evolved into a living, collective photo project.
We’ve since brought the project to other locations, including a session at our local record store, Paradise Found Records in downtown Petaluma, where the energy was raw and electric once again.
Silent Screams is part protest, part portrait, and all heart—a documentation of what it looks like to show up, take up space, and refuse to be silenced.
These photos were exhibited during the Queer Time Capsule exhibit at the Petaluma Arts Center, which ran from April 17 to June 7, 2025. The exhibition featured intimate portraits and visual narratives celebrating LGBTQ+ identities, resilience, and joy. Visitors engaged deeply with the work, leaving a lasting impression on the community during its eight-week run.
