Artists Cait McKinney and Hazel Meyer were the hit of the evening at the 2016 The ArQuives Guardian Appreciation Event. The co-curators of Tape Condition Degraded (on exhibit at The ArQuives Exhibit Space until only September 23) told the story of how they used The ArQuives’s collection of more than 3,000 VHS tapes, about one-third of which are porn, to create their immersive installation and community digitization station. Cait and Hazel’s presentation traced the history of VHS tapes, including commercially produced movies, homemade tapes and hand-dubbed compilations, which stand as vital records of the Archives’ role in preserving and protecting queer desires, sexual subcultures, and the pleasures of collecting. The Guardian Event was held September 15 at the Textile Museum of Canada, in Toronto, a new location for the event and one of Toronto’s hidden gems. Following the presentation from Cait and Hazel, the Guardians were led by Textile Museum curators on a tour of the museum’s galleries. 
One happy Guardian had this to say: “Great presentation, great people and fantastic food. I appreciated reconnecting with folks I hadn’t seen in a long time” while another said: “Super event. I really enjoyed it. Amazing food and terrific talk.” Yet another attendee remarked that he’d never watched porn at a museum before! The Guardians Event is held each year to recognize those individuals and organizations who generously commit at least $1,000 annually to ensure that the Archives can continue to cover the operational expenses necessary to acquire, preserve, organize and give public access to LGBTQ+ stories – our treasures – for generations to come. Established in 1973, The ArQuives is the largest independent organization of its kind in the world and we champion the need for an independent repository of our history, our stories and our records. Would you like to help us with our vital work of Keeping Our Stories Alive? Please contact Caitlin Smith at caitlinsmith@arquives.ca or 416-777-2755 for more information about making a financial contribution to The ArQuives or visit our website at www.arquives.ca to make a donation of any size, as a one-time gift or as a monthly contribution.
