Current exhibition
Public Sins/Private Desires, celebrates the 20th anniversary of Lynne Fernie and Aerlyn Weissman’s 1992 documentary, Forbidden Love: Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Livesand examines the contradictions, tensions and victories in the daily lives of lesbians during the period from 1950 to 1980. The culmination of several activities seeking the participation of older lesbians in Toronto, the exhibition includes the presentation of the film Forbidden Love and display of related artifacts. Lesbian pulp fiction of the period is used to provoke conversation about the apparently simple dichotomies of femme/butch identities. The installation seeks to document and trouble the records of public and private lives of lesbians in the 1950s, 60s and 70s – and their forbidden loves. Thematic enquiries about love – play – work surface in interviews and prompt questions about degrees of visibility in daily lives. Often the last place to be ‘out’, the work environment rarely supported anything other than a strict heterosexuality. In querying the complexity of lived experience that could shift from hidden to out within minutes, the exhibition seeks to draw attention to the women’s voices that linger in the archives. Audio recordings allow the anonymous and unknown to acquire a certain presence – stories of trauma, relief and laughter inhabit the exhibition, bringing life to the bits and pieces of ephemera that serve to document these lives.
Curated by Karen Stanworth, with the assistance of curatorial intern, Talia Linz, the exhibition is produced with the support of the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, and supporting partner, Special Collections, York University. Karen also receive a Minor Research grant from the Faculty of Fine Arts, York University.
See also: The lesbian pulp fiction virtual exhibition drawn from the Dworin Collection at Special Collections, York University.https://webmail.edu.yorku.ca/owa/redir.aspx?C=0ad72cb12e2c4144abf8861e4cec13f1&URL=http%3a%2f%2farchives.library.yorku.ca%2fexhibits%2fshow%2fspeccoll_rdc
Lynne Fernie and Aerlyn Weissman are interdisciplinary artists and award-winning filmmakers, who co-directed the Genie and internationally award-winning documentaries Forbidden Love: Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1992) and Fiction and Other Truths: a Film about Jane Rule (1995).
Karen Stanworth, the curator, is an historian of visual culture at York University and has published on visual culture and feminist cultural history.
Talia Linz, co-curator,and curatorial intern has just completed a collaborative Masters in Curating and Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto.
The exhibition is produced with the support of the Toronto Arts Council, and with supporting partners, Special Collections, York University.
A Solo Exhibition by JJ Levine
Switch is a series of large-scale photo diptychs that present pairs of seemingly different “heterosexual couples” in a portrait studio setting. Upon close inspection, the viewer will recognize that these couples are comprised not of four models, but of two, each portraying a man in one image and a woman in the next. This clever parody of prom-style photographs is intended to challenge the foundations of gender through masquerade and drag. The identified gender of each model is never disclosed.
Opening Reception for Switch
Thank you to all those who attended the Opening Reception for Switch last Thurday.
We had an overwhelming turn out for the launch of our first exhibition to come out of the Call for Exhibitions which is a very good start to our year of exhibitions!
This exhibition opens Wednesday, June 30 and runs until September 1st on the 3rd floor, community space of 34 Isabella Street.
This will be the first archival exhibition to be installed in the CLGA’s new home, and it focuses on the moments of tension between what has been defined as obscene and the right to offend or the right to free speech. Inspired by recent controversy, this show is meant to provide the context for the larger debate about censorship and free speech in the queer community.
The show features a film installation by filmmaker William Craddock.
A few pictures from the show, the contents are materials that have been censored or relating to the efforts of the LGBTQ communities to reverse censorship
Three takes on living as couples, here, there, and there.
Artist/curators: Steven Beckly & Dylan MacNeil (Toronto), Zachary Ayotte & Ted Kerr (Brooklyn, NY), Colin Quinn & Oisín Share (Manchester, UK)
The night has always been a time for those outside the mainstream to communicate themselves more freely. After all, it was by the cover of night that provided many queers the opportunity to mingle, explore their sexuality and reveal their truest selves. For Nuit Blanche, the Archives has dug into its vintage collection of moving pictures to create an exhibition that examines what happens behind closed doors through a historical context. As you engage with the work you becomes the voyeur into the CLGA’s house, taking pleasure in the desires and fantasies of others. Consider the range of representations and effects of erotic imagery, its power as a representational form and how it has influenced our sexual desires, identities and behaviours.
Come to “Vintage Bleu for Nuit Blanche” Saturday, October 2 from 7:00pm to midnight. Come see an outdoor projection at the Archives in celebration of Nuit Blanche! We’ll be sharing works from our extensive moving image collection transforming our beautiful home.
In 1999 two men, Danny Nashman and David Linton, decided to ride their bicycles from Toronto to Montreal to raise funds for charity. At the time, theToronto People With Aids Foundation (PWA) was facing a revenue shortfall and without an immediate cash infusion it would have to diminish the services it provided to its clients. The two men created the Friends For Life Bike Rally to meet this critical need. That first year a total of twenty-seven individuals set out to ride their bicycles over 600 km. That first year, they raised $44,498 for PWA. Since 1999, over $10 million has been raised by the Bike Rally for PWA.
This year the Bike Rally is celebrating its 15th anniversary. This exhibit is a look back, not just on the previous fourteen Bike Rallies, but also on the parallel growth of PWA and the incredible support it has given to people living with HIV and AIDS since 1999. The Reason and the Ride has been made possible through cooperation with the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) as a part of their 40th anniversary celebration. Just like the CLGA, the Bike Rally has grown to become an institution within Toronto’s queer community. In partnering together, we have created an opportunity to explore the personal histories, the triumphs, and even the losses in the Bike Rally’s history. Here at the CLGA we invite you to explore this commemoration of the journey that the Friends For Life Bike Rally has made, and will continue to make to support PWA.
PWA is the largest direct support service agency for people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada. There are more than 15,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto; this represents approximately one quarter of Canada's HIV-positive population. Last year alone, PWA provided over 62,000 unique services to more than 2,000 individuals.
Curated By:
- Tom Spence
Contributing Artists:
- James Forrester
- Brian Lawrence
- Andrew Glenn
- Mark Fisher
Produced With:
- Mith Das
- Abraham Grigaitis
- Daniela Mason
- Tim Ledger
- Andrew McDonald
- Mark Scheibmayr
- Mike Smith
- Kevin Wolfley
The National Portrait Collection (NPC) is a central part of our archival holdings at the Canadian Lesbian + Gay Archives (CLGA). We commission portraits to honour individuals who have made significant contributions to the growth of diverse, out and proud lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities in Canada.
The collection was established in 1998 with 25 original portraits, and coincided with our 25th anniversary. Since then, the collection has grown to 70 portraits of various mediums that include photography, oil and watercolour. The collection is regularly exhibited in our home in Toronto as well as at other venues across Canada, in celebration of all LGBT communities. We are committed to continuous expansion of the collection, thereby actively engaging in the creation of our own historical record.
For more about the history of the NPC see The CLGA National Portrait Collection: A History.
The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives Gallery is proud to present Sexy SmART: Women of Beauty and Substance, an exhibition of the photography series behind the Heterosexuals for Same Sex Equality’s (HSSE) 2011 Calendar.
Sexy Smart 2011 is an empowering fundraising calendar that promotes the strength and beauty of Toronto women. Sixty-four models from different walks of life have been captured by local photographers demonstrating their support for same-sex rights and reminding us that beauty can be found everywhere.
HSSE strives to promote understanding by correcting the misinformation and cultural myths that have hampered the struggle for same-sex civil rights. The organization enables all people to develop and demonstrate their support for same-sex equality through a variety of means. For more information about HSSE or to purchase a calendar, visit www.straightnotnarrow.ca. Calendars will also be available for purchase at the Archives Gallery during the Opening Reception.
Sexy SmART will run from December 9th, 2010 to January 7th, 2011. Opening Reception December 9th, 7:30pm- 10pm, 34 Isabella Street, Toronto.
The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives Gallery is proud to present Sexy SmART: Women of Beauty and Substance, an exhibition of the photography series behind the Heterosexuals for Same Sex Equality’s (HSSE) 2011 Calendar.
Pushing Buttons reimagines the space of The Pin Button Project, (
Artist/curator, Wil Craddock, presents an archive of virtual chat about pin buttons
