The Survival of the GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives: A Case Study A Plan for the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art to Establish a Permanent Home for Queer Film
Christopher Berger
Art Market Studies
About this Item
- Title
- The Survival of the GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives: A Case Study A Plan for the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art to Establish a Permanent Home for Queer Film
- Contributor Names
-
Berger, Christopher (Author)
-
Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York. Art Market Studies (Degree granting institution)
-
Melton, Paul (Thesis advisor)
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Degen, Natasha (Thesis advisor)
- Date
- 2024
- Degree Information
- M.A. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York 2024
- Department: Art Market Studies
- Advisors: Paul Melton; Natasha Degen
- Committee member: Brooke Carlson
- Abstract
- In the Castro District of San Francisco, where rainbow flags wave among the streets, a distinct institution serves as both a mirror and a beacon for the LGBTQ+ community. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Historical Society, Museum and Archives, often referred to as "San Francisco's queer Smithsonian," is a vibrant testament to the community's resilience and pride. It stands out as a vital educational institution for the community it serves, and as an exemplar among LGBTQ+ arts, historical, and archival institutions in the U.S. Their strategies are a model for thriving in the face of major sociopolitical obstacles for small culturally specific museums, especially in the LGBTQ+ sector. The GLBT's Executive Director Roberto Ordeñana, key staff members Isaac Fellman and Leigh Pfeffer, and supporters including Cleve Jones, a pivotal figure in the fight against HIV/AIDS and a co-creator of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, contemplate the organization's next chapter. Despite its rich history and vital mission, the museum faces mounting financial and operational challenges. As public interest waxes and wanes and resources dwindle, the museum team and its allies face hugely consequential decisions about who and what it is and how far it must go to ensure that its heritage remains intact for future generations.
- Accompanying the study is a business proposal that recommends that New York City's Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art (LLMA) create a queer film collection to preserve and exhibit works with significant LGBTQ+ themes. Integrated into the museum's library and archives program, this initiative would expand audience reach, strengthen membership, and promote positive partnerships and community impact, all without significant additional funding. 
- Keyword
- Jones, Cleve
- Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art
- LGBTQ studies
- Film festivals
- Queer film
- Society museum
- Government aids
- San Francisco’s Queer Smithsonian
- Rights
- In Copyright
- The copyright for this work is held by its author/creator(s). Usage of this material beyond what is permitted by copyright law must first be cleared with the rights-holder(s). This work has been made available online by the Fashion Institute of Technology Gladys Marcus Library strictly for research and educational purposes. If you are the copyright holder for this work and have any objections to this work being made available online, please notify us immediately at [email protected].
- This item must not be sold to any third party vendors.
- Identifier
- FIT Repository ID: etd_001016
- URN/ISBN: 9798302882417
- Related Materials
- Also available from ProQuest
- Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 86-08.
- Language
- English
- Publisher
- Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses,
Citation
Berger, C. (2024). The Survival of the GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives: A Case Study A Plan for the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art to Establish a Permanent Home for Queer Film [Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York]. FIT Institutional Repository. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/599994
Berger, Christopher. The Survival of the GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives: A Case Study A Plan for the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art to Establish a Permanent Home for Queer Film. 2024. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, Master's thesis. FIT Digital Repository, https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/599994
Berger, Christopher. "The Survival of the GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives: A Case Study A Plan for the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art to Establish a Permanent Home for Queer Film." Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, 2024. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/599994