Alumnus Jo Primeau aka Juice Boxx recently appeared on Canada's Drag Race All Stars (PROVIDED BY J. PRIMEAU/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
On the road from UWindsor's School of Visual Arts to Canada's Drag Race, artistry has always taken centre stage for Jo Primeau (BFA '11).
Better known as drag persona Juice Boxx, Primeau began performing back in 2016 after graduating from UWindsor and moving to Toronto to study makeup and special effects at Complections Makeup Artistry (now CMU College).
Work in television, film and events, followed by a role with MAC Cosmetics, eventually led Primeau to drag.
"I became a full-time drag artist and fell in love with the art," she says.
After several years of performing, Juice Boxx got her big break on the first season of Canada's Drag Race, the Canadian spin-off of the popular American reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Although she was the first contestant eliminated, Juice Boxx made a lasting impression, including by helping to open conversations about mental health after experiencing a panic attack on stage.
"I'm not really a person who hides how I feel," she says.
"I've always felt my feelings very strongly and will let everyone around me know exactly how I'm feeling whether they like it or not!"
Audiences wanted to see more from Juice Boxx, leading her to being invited back for the first run of Canada's Drag Race All Stars, which just wrapped up this month.
While she didn't take home the crown, Juice Boxx was named Miss Congeniality, an honour bestowed on the kindest contestant on each season.
"With my run on All Stars, I went back to re-write my story and have a better experience," she says.
"Winning Miss Congeniality was just an outcome of how I try to lead with everyone I meet. It's nice to be nice!"
Along the way, Juice Boxx has maintained her connection to Windsor-Essex, returning home to perform at various events over the years, including Windsor-Essex Pride Fest.
"I live full-time in Port Hope now," she says. "It has the same feel as Essex, where I grew up, so it's actually very comfortable."
"I love coming back to Windsor-Essex, when I can, to perform. Something about the place you grew up will always feel comforting, so to be able to share my craft and artistry with the city is something I never want to take for granted."
Those looking to catch JuiceBoxx live can check her out on the North Stars tour in Toronto, Oct. 7.
Cole Fortier (BFA '15), who performs as Epoxy, also turned a UWindsor visual arts degree into a career in drag.
Although he didn't adopt his drag persona until 2020, Fortier's background as a visual artist has always been closely connected to his drag performance.
"Everything I do in life spawns from my foundation of being a visual artist,” he says.
"Over the years I’ve been the alumni artist in residence at UWindsor, and I’ve worked with Arts Council Windsor Region and Artcite. I’ve been a part of grants and bursaries from municipal and provincial programs. Drag was just the next medium. I’m always finding new ways to crossover drag and fine arts.”
As for how he got involved in drag in the first place, Fortier says it came down to funding: “Justin Trudeau is my drag mother.”
“I always had an interest in drag, but the start-up costs always overwhelmed me," he explains.
"But when we were in lockdown during COVID, and the government gave out the CERB funding, I jumped on the opportunity. I learned everything I know from YouTube tutorials, and I started on Instagram and TikTok. I didn’t do my first live performance until a year or two into my drag career.”
Since then, Fortier has continued to both to perform and exhibit his art in the community, including partnering with Dr. Jennifer Willet's Incubator Art Lab.
"I believe drag is a form of BioArt," Fortier says.
"The canvas is the human body. Being a drag queen is a very human experience, and you can basically transform into whatever you want to be. Your body is a blank canvas, and drag is basically how you decorate and present that canvas."
"And," he warns, "you definitely don’t want to see a drag queen's makeup brushes under a microscope."
Fortier’s recent New Voices exhibition at Artcite in Ford City drew attention after a billboard bearing the message “Windsor Had Drag Queens Before You Existed” was removed from outside the gallery.
"The purpose was to create conversation and connections regarding the LGBTQ+ presence in Windsor, and it definitely accomplished that," Fortier says.
"Windsor-Detroit has had drag shows since the late 1800s, and in 2026 people still get worked up about queer culture being some sort of new woke phenomenon. We’ve been here longer than Windsor has been incorporated as a city. Get over it."
For those looking to wear a piece of Fortier's latest art, "Windsor Had Drag Queens Before You Existed" buttons are available for $5 at Chance Coffee, Bad Girl Hair, Petrella’s, Derna’s Emporium, Biblioasis, The Well, Whiskeyjack Boutique, Phog and Culture Shock Bead Co. All proceeds support Fortier’s future art projects and community initiatives.
"I think we need to talk about queer culture more in Windsor," says Fortier, and his artwork is certainly encouraging people to do just that.
Follow @Epoxy_theDragQueen on social media for more details on upcoming drag and art shows.