Mrs. Vera

Community Grand Marshal

Mrs. Vera is on a quest to brighten the lives around her by celebrating the artistic spirit associated with San Francisco and looking as gay as possible while doing so. Mrs. Vera is a character created by David Faulk and his partner Michael Johnstone. David moved to San Francisco from New York City in 1992, met his partner Michael, and by 1994 they had created Mrs. Vera, a character for Michael to photograph that honored the spirit of the many creative people they had lost to the AIDS epidemic. The character expanded over the years, through a determined lens of vibrancy, humor, craft, and joy. Originally designed as props for the photos, various articles of costume soon found a second life at civic events and street fairs. More and more friends became keen to wear them, especially at the SF Pride Parade. Now, more than 50 costumed revelers march in concert with Verasphere, wearing the whimsical, colorful creations built from unexpected non-traditional materials. At these public events and at workshops throughout the Bay Area, Mrs. Vera and Verasphere have been encouraging people to experiment with their own creativity. They help others to discover their own unique vision through creating outlandish costumes utilizing recycled, colorful materials. Verasphere have marched in the SF Pride Parade every year since 1995, entertaining the crowds in support of local agencies such as The LGBTQ Center, the SPCA, The SF Library’s Bookmobile, and Shanti.



Original illustration by George McCalman.