Exhibit Opening on October 19
The Archives Project is proud to partner with the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library to present an inspiring exhibit which premieres on October 19 at the Dodwell House. The opening reception will feature “Standing on the Shoulders of Heroes,” a living exploration of those whose lives have given the LGBTQ+ community strength, courage, and a pathway to a brighter future. The exhibit begins with Frank Kemeny and Barbara Giddings and brings us to Laverne Cox who has been, for many, a transformative figure. The exhibit demonstrates the resilience, talent, and historic record contained within our world. It shows how previous liberation movements paved the way for ours and how we have become the bridge to the wider community. Also on display will be three New Orleans panels from the National AIDS Memorial Quilt. This event is free and open to the public. Please join us at the Dodwell House, 1519 Esplanade Ave., at 7:00pm for the opening reception. More information can be found here.
AIDS Activism Panel
Our recent panel discussion on the history of AIDS activism was a huge success. Attendees, many of whom were young activists, heard from panelists Mark Gonzalez, Deon Haywood, and Noel Twilbeck what it was like on the front lines of the epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s. This event was the latest in our New Orleans AIDS Memory Project. The discussion was recorded and will be uploaded to our website soon. More information can be found here.
A Salute to the Corner Pocket
The Archives Project has facilitated a significant donation of archival material to The Historic New Orleans Collection. Michael Elias, the owner of the Corner Pocket, has donated over twenty years of promotional posters from the bar, greatly expanding THNOC’s LGBT+ collections. Join us on Wednesday, October 16, as we celebrate this significant acquisition and New Orleans’s rich LGBT+ history. The evening will include remarks by Frank Perez, executive director of the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, followed by a conversation with Perez and Michael Elias about the bar’s history and the poster collection. A short performance and light reception will follow the program. The event will take place at The Williams Research Center at 410 Chartres Street. Doors open at 5:30pm, program at 6:00pm. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. You can register here.
Halloween Fundraiser
Our annual Halloween fundraiser will take place on October 26 at 7:00pm at Crossing, 439 Dauphine Street. The event will feature an auction, a raffle, and a costume contest. The $10 cover charge gets you a free drink and one raffle ticket. Auction items include paintings, hotel stays, liquor baskets, gift baskets, and bar tab gift certificates. Best costume wins a $200 cash prize. This is always a fun event. Come out and support the Archives Project.
Film Screening on November 7
Filmmaker Valda Lewis will be introducing clips from her upcoming documentary From Where We Stood: AIDS and the Culture Wars on November 7 at the Prytania Theatre, Canal Place at 7:00pm. In the 1980s and 1990s, Lewis produced an LGBT+ themed television talk show called “Just for the Record” in New Orleans. Her new film records stories from the Midwest and Deep South, including New Orleans, regarding both the political advances and setbacks of the era. Parallel and interwoven stories of HIV/AIDS are told through those who experienced and survived these tumultuous years. This event is free and open to the public. More information can be found here. Stay tuned for registration details.
Support Needed
The Archives Project is busier than ever and that makes us happy. Getting our history out of the closet and properly preserved is important but it also costs money. Your financial support is crucial to this effort. Would you please consider becoming a monthly donor or making a one-time gift? Doing so is easy here. Corporate and business sponsorships are also available. To see our current sponsors, click here. Thank you to all who currently support us!