Leatherati

News to Abuse: A Room of Her Own - Larry Townsend Collection - Vern Stewart

A Room of Her Own

In May 2011, the LA&M WLHP opened "A Room of Her Own" to a packed gallery.  Curator Dr. Alex Warner assembled the previous year's WLHP collection along with the existing Women's collection at the LA&M to create the exhibit. WLHP co-founder Sarah Humble said "A Room of Her Own is a milestone for the LA&M Women's Leather History Project.  The exhibit displays the importance of women's history, stories and contributions to the leather community."  The exhibit is on display through 2013 at the museum in Chicago and several resources from the exhibition have been made available through the museum's website. 

Art and Ephemera from the Collection of Larry Townsend

The collection opens on February 3, 2012 and runs untill March 30 at the Center for Sex and Culture, 1349 Mission Street in San Francisco, CA.  And be sure to mark your calendar for the opening reception on Friday, February 3 from 6 - 9 PM at the Center.

Larry Townsend was a pivotal figure in the development of leather culture as we know it. What many do not know is that he was also a collector of art. The Center for Sex and Culture is extremely proud to present a selection of work from his collection. The exhibit includes illustrations by Macbeth, Olaf, Sean, Orsen, Russ, Dennis, Zane, DP, and others. This work spans a wide range of what's thought of as the classical period of gay SM illustration work; the period in which almost no artists used their real full names when doing this sort of work. There are cops and cowboys and Romans and leathermen playing in almost every way imaginable. The clear theme that runs through Townsend's collection is that of unrestrained perverted joy. The Center will also be showing a selection of Townsend's personal ephemera including toys, leathers, and original manuscripts. 

Fireside Chat with Vern Stewart

Inside Leather History, A Fireside Chat will showcase in a live-on-stage interview Mr Vern Stewart on Saturday April 28th, 2012 during CLAW.  Vern will discuss his 50 years in the community and his volume of work.  Following the formal interview the floor will open for audience questions.  See CLAW's run book for place and time.  Come one, come all!  

More info on the CLAW website

 

The Leatherman's Protocol Handbook

Since it's release, there's been a great deal of back and forth dialogue (and a fair amount of controversy) in our various communities regarding John D. Weal's The Leatherman’s Protocol Handbook: A Handbook on “Old Guard” Rituals, Traditions and Protocols.

We asked Guy Baldwin, himself an accomplished author and a guy who probably knows where most of the bodies are buried in our community, to review the book for Leatherati.  We were thrilled when he agreed - by his own account this is only the 2nd book review he's ever undertaken.

We have the review in hand and will publish that on Tuesday, January 31st in the afternoon Pacific Time.  It's amazing reading and we can't wait to receive your feedback and comments.

We're also launching our first-ever Leatherati Live Town Hall Meeting following the release of the review.  It's an online, interactive environment where we can all get together to discuss issues from the book and the review.

Don't miss the Leatherati Live Town Hall on Saturday, February 4 at 1 PM PST.  
The event takes place in Leatherati Voices

News to Abuse: NWLC Room Block - Furry Swine - LA&M DADT Rate

Northwest Leather Celebration Hotel reservations

Northwest Leather Celebration is pleased to announce that they will once again be at the Doubletree Hotel, San Jose, less than one mile from the San Jose International Airport. 

NWLC attendees will enjoy complimentary courtesy shuttle service to/from the San Jose airport and attendees who stay overnight in the event host hotel will also enjoy complimentary parking.

Registered attendees of NWLC may reserve rooms in the event block for the rate of just $91 per night (plus all applicable taxes) for standard guest rooms.

Visit http://www.northwestleathercelebration.com/hotel and click on the link to make your hotel room reservations for NWLC 2012. NWLC 2012 attendees who reserve through this link qualify for the special rate of just $91 per night! 

 

A Furry Swine Fest Of Epic Proportions...

PIGGY BEAR'S BACK for one night only on Friday, Feb. 17 at The Eagle NYC, 554 West 28 St, at 10PM.  And there's No Cover!

A Post Valentine's Event for NYC's Bear Community and friends. Muscle Bears, Cute & Cuddly Cubs, Hairy Hipsters, Otters & Wolves come together under one roof with Go-Go Bears, videos & more. Heavy petting & drinking all night long with $15 Bud/Bud Light Pitchers and featuring DJ Damian Cote of Buddies

Dress to get Mauled!

More info on Facebook

LA&M Announces New Traveling Exhibit

On October 6, 2011 at the Pride Center in Ft. Lauderdale, the LA&M, in partnership with LeatherWerks, debuted their latest exhibit specifically designed to tour the country, The Art of Drummer: New Outlines in Masculinity. The exhibit features numerous original works from such artists as Bill Ward, Nigel Kent, Cavelo, and Etienne.

With the creation of this collection, the Archives now has an exhibit that can be sent to spaces such as museums and community centers across the country for display for an extended period of time. Planners and curators can simply contact the Leather Archives & Museum and arrange for the framed and labeled works to be sent to the location, ready to unpack, hang, and display. 

"A great deal of care was given to the selection and research for these images," said Chester Munro, Director of Project Management at the LA&M and co-curator of the exhibit with Executive Director Rick Storer. "After an thorough exploration of our extensive art collection, we feel we've assembled work from a distinct and diverse group of artists, and that we will now be able to share many of these pieces with groups and organizations outside of Chicago made the effort  more than worth it." 

Drummer Magazine, published from 1975 to 1999, was the premiere magazine for those men in the kink and fetish world who did not see themselves or their sex lives reflected in the erotic gay publishing world at that time.

The exhibit will be back at the Archives and available for booking in 2012. To speak to someone about booking the exhibit for your space/event, contact us at archives@leatherarchives.org.

 

Leather Archives & Museum names Dr. Alex Warner Project Historian

The Leather Archives & Museum has named Dr. Alex Warner as the first Project Historian for the Women's Leather History Project at the institution.

Dr. Warner, who recently received her doctorate from the History Department at Rutgers University, will work with the Women's Leather History Project through collection and program development, volunteer oversight, fundraising and oral history administration. 

"The addition of Dr. Warner adds a new depth to the Women's Leather History Project" said Sarah Humble, LA&M Board Member and co-coordinator for the Women's Project.  "Her experience will both broaden the collection and inspire new ways to deliver Women's Leather history through programs and exhibits."

Warner recently completed a dissertation examining the intersection of the politics of feminism and sexual liberation through investigating the organization of lesbian sado-masochists in the 1970s and 80s.  She lives in Iowa with her partner, Amber, and plans to continue her academic work and teaching History and Gender/Sexuality Studies.

 

Beyond Vanilla Keynote

Leatherati Calendar Editor and Correspondent Tyesha, attended Beyond Vanilla XXI this past weekend in Dallas and made sure we got a copy of the excellent Keynote Speec that Vince Andrews delivered.

Check out Thoughts of the Torn Guard in Leatherai Voices

LeatherHistory.EU

On the 21st of September, 2011 Pieter Claeys officially registered LeatherHistory.EU as a Foundation with the Dutch Chamber Of Commerce.

The aim of the foundation is to map, preserve and share the history of leather & fetish lifestyles and culture. To achieve its goal the foundation hosts and maintains a website where a digital archive about European leather & fetish history is being built and seeks cooperation with and within the international leather & fetish community.

Pieter also announced the launch of a new website for the foundation on 1 October, 2011 with more focus on collecting and preserving the history of leather and fetish lifestyles and culture.

More info at LeatherHistory.EU

LA&M Visiting Scholar

The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) announced today that David K. Johnson (Ph.D. Northwestern) has been selected as its 2011-2012 Visiting Scholar.  Johnson will use the LA&M collections during October of this year in support of his "Buying Gay" research work.  

Johnson is an associate professor in the history department at the University of South Florida, where he teaches courses on post-1945 U.S. history, the history of gender and sexuality, and gay and lesbian American history. His first book, The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government, (University of Chicago, 2004) won three awards: the Herbert Hoover Book Award for the best book in U.S. history covering the period 1914-1964; the Randy Shilts Award for gay non-fiction from the Publishing Triangle in New York; and an Outstanding Book Award from the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights. A documentary film version of The Lavender Scare is currently in production.

Switzerland, No More - Jeffrey Payne

In my opinion our community spends an inordinate amount of time trying to a) figure out if there really was an Old Guard, b) pinpoint exactly what it means to be Old Guard, and c) reconstruct supposed Old Guard ways and traditions.

Jeffrey Payne (IML 2009) submitted an article, which we've just published in Leatherati Voices, with his opinion of the dangers of creating some sort of leather scriptures out of purported Old Guard traditions.  Read it and find out clearly and exactly where he stands on the issue.

Side note - it's good to see Jeffrey speaking out on this issue.  We select our titleholders in part to lead our communities and then we effectively silence them in the interest of being politically correct.  We probably ought to re-think that approach and welcome the dialogue.

Read Switzerland, No More after the jump.

News to Abuse: LA&M CLAW Grant - BDSM Approved - Tea With the Doctor

CLAW comes through for LA&M

The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) announced today that it has received a $6,500 grant from CLAW Corporation.  Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend, held annually in Cleveland, OH has raised over $300,000 since 2002.  CLAW has donated to the LA&M each year since 2002, with this year's grant bringing the total to $53,244.75.  

Bondage Club Gets City Approval

Sweet!

After months of wrangling with the city of St Louis, the south-city BDSM venue known as "The Facility" is legally in the clear to operate, proprietor Joe Kriegesmann says.

"We are approved for educational seminars," says Kriegesmann, who is also known as "Satan's Master." He tells us he received a letter from the Board of Public Service giving him the go-ahead to operate the club, which mayoral spokeswoman Kara Bowlin confirms.

Full article after the jump

Afternoon Tea with Doctor Larry Burden

Yes, the "Kinky Gynecologist" is leading the way at an afternoon of tea, networking and important discussions of our sex lives.

Serenesin.com is sponsoring the event to be held at the Veterans Memorial Complex, Uruapan Room, 4117 Overland Ave in Culver City, CA 90230. 

Info and tix here