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The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) is a community archives, library, and museum located in the Rogers Park neighborhood of
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'' (before its relaunch) and ''Bound & Gagged (magazine)">Bound & Gagged.'' It also has one of three original leather pride flags which the flag's creator Tony DeBlase assembled as a prototype, and all of the artwork, notes, and other materials of Bill Schmeling.
The LA&M has notable writings such as the records of International Mr. Leather, Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. Founded by Chuck Renslow and Tony DeBlase in 1991, its mission is "making leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...
, kink
Kink or KINK may refer to:
Common uses
* Kink (sexuality), a colloquial term for non-normative sexual behavior
* Kink, a curvature, bend, or twist
Geography
* Kink, Iran, a village in Iran
* The Kink, a man-made geographic feature in remote ea ...
, BDSM
BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...
, and fetish accessible through research, preservation, education and community engagement." The LA&M is a leading conservator of queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the l ...
erotic art
Erotic art is a broad field of the visual arts that includes any artistic work intended to evoke erotic arousal. It usually depicts human nudity or sexual activity, and has included works in various visual mediums, including drawings, engr ...
. Its permanent collection features some of the most iconic LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
artists of the twentieth century, including the complete works of Bill Schmeling and many of Dom Orejudos' drawings and murals.
The LA&M is a 501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...
-registered non-profit organization. In addition to its activities in Chicago, the LA&M sends traveling exhibits around the country, and provides email and telephone research assistance.
Permanent exhibits
The permanent exhibits at the LA&M are the Fakir Musafar exhibit, the Dungeon exhibit (which shows some of the museum's artifacts in an erotic environment), the Leatherbar exhibit, and the A Room of Her Own exhibit (about women's leather history). In regard to the name of the A Room of Her Own exhibit, curator Alex Warner has written,As I began work for the first exhibit installation of the Women's Leather History Project, I was excited that we were both literally and figuratively making room for Leatherwomen's history in the LA&M. It was out of this line of thinking that "A Room of Her Own" emerged, building onVirginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born ...'s 1929 feminist text ' 'A_Room_of_One's_Own''">A_Room_of_One's_Own.html"_;"title="'A_Room_of_One's_Own">'A_Room_of_One's_Own''that_argues_for_women’s_need_for_space_to_think_and_create.
_Etienne_Auditorium
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''_(before_its_relaunch)_and_''Bound_&_Gagged_(magazine).html" ;"title="Drummer_(magazine).html" "title="Tom_of_Finland.html" ;"title="A_Room_of_One's_Own''.html" ;"title="A_Room_of_One's_Own.html" ;"title="'A Room of One's Own">'A Room of One's Own''">A_Room_of_One's_Own.html" ;"title="'A Room of One's Own">'A Room of One's Own''that argues for women’s need for space to think and create.
_Etienne_Auditorium
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The_LA&M_has_the_world's_biggest_collection_of_original_pieces_by__Etienne Auditorium
The LA&M has the Etienne Auditorium, which is used for the LA&M film series, Cinekink, the German Fetisch Film Festival, leather-related contests, demonstrations, community meetings, lectures, and as a place where leather groups and clubs can gather for free. The auditorium has numerous murals done by Dom Orejudos, who used the pseudonym Etienne, the French equivalent of his middle name Stephen.Collection
The LA&M has the world's biggest collection of original pieces by Dom Orejudos under the name Etienne, some Tom of Finland">Touko Valio Laaksonen (who used the pseudonym Tom of Finland) originals, and complete sets of the magazines ''Drummer (magazine)">Drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer's ...National Leather Association
National Leather Association International (NLA-I) is a BDSM organization, based in the United States with chapters in various cities in the United States and Canada. It was founded in 1986 as the "National Leather Association" (NLA), as a national ...
, and the Mineshaft, and the papers of Tony DeBlase. Hundreds of oral history recordings, videos and transcripts are also available to researchers.
It also has all photos by Kris Studios, a male physique photography
Physique photography is a tradition of photography of nude or semi-nude (usually muscular) men which was largely popular between the early 20th century and the 1960s. Physique photography originated with the physical culture and bodybuilding move ...
studio founded by Chuck Renslow and Dom Orejudos, that took photos for gay magazines they published. The studio was named in part to honor transgender pioneer Christine Jorgensen
Christine Jorgensen (May 30, 1926 – May 3, 1989) was an American trans woman who was the first person to become widely known in the United States for having sex reassignment surgery. She had a career as a successful actress, singer and re ...
. Renslow later co-founded the LA&M with Tony DeBlase.
History
In August 1991, the LA&M was incorporated in theState of Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
.
Tony DeBlase served as Vice President of the Board of Directors of the LA&M from 1992 until 2000.
The LA&M moved to its current location in 1999. The site was previously home to a synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of wor ...
.
In May 2006, the LA&M's executive director Rick Storer participated in a panel discussion entitled "Censorship & Sexually Explicit Materials" at the 2006 GLBT ALMS ( Archives, Libraries, Museums and Special Collections) Conference.
In May 2009, the LA&M announced that International Mr. Leather proceeds would be placed in a trust to benefit the museum.
In 2009, the LA&M acquired the 25-box collection of papers of Robert Davolt, author and organizer of the San Francisco Pride leather contingent, and the editor of '' Bound & Gagged''.
In July 2019, Bill Schmeling donated all of his artwork, notes, and other materials to the LA&M, shortly before he died in September.
Honors
The LA&M received the Large Nonprofit Organization of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards in 1997, 2001, 2006, and 2011. Joseph Bean, while executive director of the LA&M, received the Man of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards in 1998 and 2000, and the Steve Maidhof Award for National or International Work from theNational Leather Association International
National Leather Association International (NLA-I) is a BDSM organization, based in the United States with chapters in various cities in the United States and Canada. It was founded in 1986 as the "National Leather Association" (NLA), as a national ...
in 1998.
Rick Storer, while executive director of the LA&M, received the President's Award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards in 2005, the Man of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards in 2008, the Mr. Marcus Hernandez Lifetime Achievement Award (Man) as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards in 2012, and the National Leather Association International Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
The LA&M received the International Deaf Leather Recognition Award in 2011.
The LA&M was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame
The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame (formerly Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame) is an institution founded in 1991 to honor persons and entities who have made significant contributions to the quality of life or well-being of the LGBT community in Chic ...
in 2017.
The LA&M was inducted into the Leather Hall of Fame in 2019.
Other
Chuck Renslow, who died in 2017, is listed as the Chairman In Memoriam of the LA&M. The LA&M also gives out the Chuck Renslow President's Award to honor individuals and organizations for their contributions to it.Sources
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leather Archives and Museum Archives in the United States BDSM organizations Leather museums Leather subculture LGBT culture in Chicago LGBT museums and archives Museums in Chicago Sex museums in the United States Inductees of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame