In 2020 we will continue to reshape our journey to be relevant in our communities and collect, preserve, and share the diverse stories of LGBTQ2+ communities in Canada. On top of which, we have a lot planned around the community, at the archives, and online. Here’s a brief line-up of the events, exhibitions, and engagements that are on The ArQuives’ calendar:
On-Site
February – Everett Klippert: The Most Publicized Homosexual in History
Monday, February 10th, 6:00-7:30 PM at The ArQuives
Hosted by Calgary Gay History Project. Kevin Allen explores the life of Canada’s gay rights anti-hero, whose court case led to the partial decriminalization of homosexuality in 1969.
Kevin is the Research Lead of the Calgary Gay History Project, a research collective working to uncover and preserve stories from Calgary’s LGBTQ2 past. The Project achieved national recognition at the Governor General’s History Awards and its research has been covered in both local and national media. Kevin was the inaugural Historian in Residence at Calgary’s New Central Library in November 2018, where he launched his bestselling book, Our Past Matters: Stories of Gay Calgary.
In March, the 34 Isabella Gallery will mount an exhibition of Hemidah Hemani photography. For Hemani photography is her passion and sees herself a digital storyteller. The exhibition will be launched with an opening night party and will be on display for the entire month. Watch social media and our website for more information about the event.
The Myseum Intersections Annual Festival returns in April, and this marks the third year we are partnering with the festival. We’re mounting a large exhibition of our trans collections, curated by artist and educator Tobaron Waxman. We will also explore Trans Legacies through a round table discussion at the exhibition launch. This project also includes Walking Tours, researched and presented by Teymah Armatrading, which will highlight the untold stories of Toronto’s Trans Histories. The exhibition will run for the entire month and the dates of walking tours will be announced closer to the events.
The month of May will feature a major retrospective exhibition of Pride and Remembrance in celebration of their 25th anniversary. To preserve their history and contribution to our communities, Pride and Remembrance has donated their collection to The ArQuives and our archivists are processing and digitizing the materials which will be a significant part of the exhibition.
Off-Site
February – The Glad Day Bookshop is Hosting The ArQuives’ Queer Trivia Night on February 20.
Starting at 6:30 pm. More than a 100 people are going and/or interested in attending.
The Kaleidoscope Gala
– The ArQuives Gala is back March 28th at the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon.
Check out the details on how to be part of the highlight of the season.
Our History: National Portrait Collection Induction Ceremony
In May we will be hosting an event to formally inaugurate the portraits of the newest members of our National Portrait Collection. This year’s inductees, who were nominated by members of our communities for their significant contributions on a local, regional, national, or international level, are El-Farouk Khaki, Mirha-Soleil Ross, David Rayside, and Eve Zaremba.
Another major event will be the launch of Craig Jennex and Nisha Eswaran’s book Out North, An Archive of Queer Activism and Kinship in Canada. Produced in collaboration with The ArQuives and published by Figure.1. Out North reveals our vast collections through a wide-ranging survey of queer history, activism, and our communities. In the month of June, the book will be toured across the country.
At the end of May we are participating in this year’s Doors Open weekend in partnership with filmmaker, photographer, author and the City of Toronto’s second Photo Laureate Michelle Pearson Clarke who will be mounting a 12-panel installation exhibition at Nathan Phillips Square.
While we are busy with many events, our public service hours will continue as usual. Our volunteers and staff will continue to process our archival, library, and artifact collections, making it available for researchers, students, artists, educators, and anyone who is interested. Later in the year there will be another lineup of events and anniversaries to celebrate.