Engaging with the extensive collection of images and printed material within the John J. Wilcox Jr. Archives at the William Way LGBT Community Center, Selections from the Archives revisits and (re)frames the histories woven within Philadelphia’s local queer community. In searching for underrepresented voices and representation, Rami George presents excerpts from a variety of collections within the Archives, primarily focusing on snapshots of everyday life and fragmented moments of political action, as well as exploring the history of the Center itself. Relationships—amongst each other, community, location, and time—become a thread between the works. This site-specific exploration activates the lobby of the Center as a tether between past and present, and encourages viewers (especially those less represented) to connect or contribute to the Archives themselves. The visual narrative will be supplemented by programming that seeks to bring together intergenerational dialogue and exchange, with hope for the support of new relationships and networks of care.
This exhibition also includes an installation of watercolors and drawings by the late Roberta Dickinson (1916-1982), a local trans artist and activist whose collection is held within the Archives. Primarily active in the 1970s, the works selected offer an early example of a transgender artist documenting her own transition through art.
