Fly papers, 1965-2023, bulk 1990-2012

Fly is a comic artist, textile artist, "crust punk," musician, feminist, squatter, illustrator, muralist, chronicler, teacher, and community activist. She has documented the Alphabet City/Loisaida neighborhood in comics, zines, photography, and more over the course of more than three decades.

Fly (née Elen Orr or Helen J. Orr) was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on February 19, 1963 to Ruth and Thomas William Orr. Fly spent much of her youth moving with her family as her father was a Lieutenant commander in the Royal Canadian Navy. Fly attended York University to study graphic design and art history and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1986. She was a production assistant at the Georgia Straight Weekly in Vancouver, Canada from 1987 to 1988 and at the Vancouver Canada Metropolis Weekly from 1988 to 1994. She also worked on book design and production at Mangajin Books Toronto Canada, 1990-1994.

Fly arrived in New York City in 1988 but permanently began living in New York's Lower East Side in 1990. She was stationed in the Gargoyle Mechanic Lab (performance and art space in the lower east side in the late 1980s-90s). She was squatting in the 209 East 7th Street building starting in 1992 and assigned to her space since 1995. At the same time, she was the bassist and singer of a queercore band, God Is My Co-Pilot (GodCo) and toured with the band internationally in 1995. She also worked at Kinko's East Houston street location from 1995 to 1998, then as a fashion illustration model at FIT, Parson, SVA, and Pratt from 1998 to 2002, and as a clerk at St. Mark's bookshop from 2003 to 2010. Fly created many of her artworks and music during this time and collaborated with other like-minded artists on various comics, zines, including cover art for music albums and books.

Her major comics and zines include: Maggot Zine (monthly postcard zine), 1986-1996; In Doctrine Nation, 1992; You're in Your Urine, 1992; Meanwhile, 1993; In Doctrine Nation CalmIck, 1994; All Stressed Up with Nuthin to Throw, 1995; The Dystopiation of Sobriety, 1996; Italian Translation of In Doctrine Nation CalmIck, 1997; Puke Junk and Hit the Fan, 1997; Girl Gang (mini-comic), 1998; Dumpster Diving Flipbook, 1998; CHRON!IC!RIOTS!PA!SM!, 1998; Fuck the Shut Up, 1999; WW3 Illustrated, 9-11 Comic, 2001; Total Disaster, 2003; PEOPs, 2003; Ali and the King's Tears, 2003. Her comics and illustrations also appeared in various magazines, anthologies, and newspapers such as New York Press (1996-2002), New Yorker, East Villager (and Villager Express), Villager, Juxtapoz, The Comics Journal, Village Voice, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Raygun, The Bradleys (Fantagraphics), World War 3 Illustrated, Punk, Maximumrocknroll, MonkeySuit, Slug and Lettuce, and other collaborated zines and underground publications. Fly was also the recipient of 2013 Acker Award for Excellence Within the Avant-Garde.