ALTON - A local photographer has created the community they always wanted in Alton.
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Lumi Marson is Milton Schoolhouse’s Artist of the Month for November, and they still can’t believe it. Marson shared their journey to photography and their decision to start Piasa Rainbow Collective, a grassroots organization for queer folks in the Riverbend region. The last year has been a fantastic ride for the artist.
“It makes me want to throw up with excitement a little bit,” they joked. “Life kind of did a 180 that I didn’t expect, and I’m really happy it did.”
Marson obtained their first camera at the age of 14 and originally focused on self-portraits. Eventually, they started taking photos of their best friend, traveling around the area to find the perfect posed and candid shots.
For a while, Marson stepped in front of the camera as a model. They worked with several St. Louis-based photographers. One morning, they woke up to find their photos had been posted on Vogue.com.
While their modeling career was successful, it reinforced Marson’s true passion as a photographer. They experimented with more self-portraits and soon turned to nature photography.
“There have been many photos that mean a lot to me where I’m a subject and I know the meaning of the photo. I remember where my head was at whenever I made it,” they said. “Of course, there’s always going to be people who try and force a narrative on you, and I don’t want that to stop me. I love my art, and I know other people love my art.”
As their photography career began to take off, Marson ached for connection. They’re candid about their lonely high school experience, feeling out-of-place in their Christian school. But over social media, Marson found friends — and a new source of inspiration — in Alton’s queer community.
And they soon realized that other Riverbend natives felt the same sense of loneliness. In June 2025, Marson was distressed by a lack of local Pride Month events and felt “especially scared” in a stressful political climate. Instead of retreating, they decided to do something about it.
“I’m desperate for community. I’m desperate to get out and do things,” Marson remembered. “As a very lonely, closeted queer kid in a Christian school, you need something to do, so you just start planning events that aren’t going to happen, like birthday parties that no one is going to come to. I was just like, well, I’ve been doing this for a while. I have horrible social anxiety, but I want to work on that, and I want some form of community, because this is not sustainable and other people need it.”
Along with Mads St. Clair, they started Piasa Rainbow Collective, a group that invites queer Altonians to come together for art projects, dinners and other events. In the five months since Piasa Rainbow Collective took off, it’s been “a crazy new concept” for Marson to have friends on their side, people who look up to them, and a deep sense of community. They are ecstatic.
And their photography has grown because of it. Marson has received “so much love” since becoming the Artist of the Month at Milton, and they can’t believe so many people resonate with their art.
They admitted that they used to “absolutely hate it here” in Alton and dream of traveling far away. But these days, Marson is pleased with the life they have built for themself, and they “adore” the Midwest.
As they continue the work to obtain their GED, they are looking into studying journalism or visual arts in college. And, of course, they will continue to take photos and grow the Piasa Rainbow Collective. The journey wasn’t linear, but Marson is proud of who they are and the community they have created.
“I was just kind of like, yo, I’m never going to get to be myself,” Marson said. “And now, I am.”
To learn more about Lumi Marson and their art, visit their official Instagram page.
