We are so excited to share the launch of The ArQuives name and logo with all of you, and would like to take this time to say THANK YOU for all of the incredible support we have received over the past 45 years. We would not be the largest archive of LGBTQ2+ life in Canada without you, and we are really excited to extend that legacy into the future with our new name. The constant support from volunteers and donors is and has always been overwhelming, and it is a wonderful thing to continually draw from and appreciate.
We began the name change process two years ago, when we realized that our name did not fit with our strategic or developmental plan for The ArQuives (pronounced ar·chives). After speaking with community members, volunteers, and other stakeholders, it became clear that we really needed to change our name if we were going to adequately reflect underserved and underrepresented communities in Canada: most notably trans, queer, bisexual, and 2-spirited folks. Our name is our first point of engagement and we are very excited to have one that fully represents the community that we serve.
We are also thrilled to announce that as of Monday March 18, 2019, our collection will become more accessible. Our new online database will allow the public and researchers alike to search our diverse collection of records, regardless of their location. This will allow community members to delve into the collection, see connections between items, and request more information from The ArQuives. We are incredibly proud and humbled by the support we have received, and would like to extend our gratitude to TD Canada Trust and the Pride & Remembrance Foundation for supporting this project.
We have been working very hard for the last year on several programming initiatives to pair with our name change to ensure that the update has a worthwhile impact. The launch of our online database, new community outreach programming, and the conscious hiring of individuals from underrepresented communities are important steps in achieving our strategic goals in building a strong and representative collection for the communities we live in. Attached to this email is our formal press release. Stay tuned for upcoming events and exhibitions at The ArQuives: we can’t wait to show you everything we have planned for the upcoming year.
-The ArQuives Team