Lolita Wolf's Predictions & Predilections

The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) is committed to collecting, preserving and providing access to the contributions, experiences, and histories of women in leather, BDSM, fetish, and related lifestyles. The Women’s Leather History Project (WLHP) represents the LA&M’s ongoing commitment to making the diverse voices of women in leather visible and heard. The WLHP will collect artifacts, stories, and other items that represent the experience of all women (straight, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, women of color). The resulting collections will be featured in future exhibitions at the Leather Archives & Museum.

Please join the WLHP and the LA&M and ring in the New Year by becoming a part of this urgent and very important project of collecting and protecting Women’s Leather History!

The WLHP is a multi-year project. Our target fund-raising goal for 2010 is $10,000, and we hope to collect an additional $2,500/year for each additional year. Donations to the WLHP will only be used for program items related to the collection and exhibition of women’s leather history at the LA&M. Your donations will fund the hiring of a professional curator, the creation of museum exhibits at the LA&M, and the acquisition and storage of women’s leather resources including:

• • Papers
• •Video recorded interviews
• • Personal histories—oral, film, and written
• • Art and visual resources
• • Media—books, magazines, films, and digital media
• • Artifacts—organizational and personal

Spearheading the WLHP for LA&M will be Sarah Humble and Leigha Fleming. Says Humble, “I am so excited to be involved in leading this project. I have my video recording equipment ready. It’s so important that as women we take the lead in collecting and preserving our own histories!”

Says Fleming, “We will be present at events, scheduling interviews and soliciting donations to make this project a reality. Vi Johnson & Jill Carter have become our first individual donors and SouthEast Leatherfest has become our first event donor.

We will begin accepting donations for this exciting public history project on January 1, 2010. The Leather Archives & Museum is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, therefore any contribution you make to this project is tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations. Donations can be made via the LA&M website or by mailing a check/money order to: Leather Archives & Museum 6418 N. Greenview Avenue, Chicago, IL 60626. Please mark your contributions “women” or “WLHP.” If you have any questions, please email women@leatherarchives.org

You can visit the Women’s Leather History Project on the LA&M website.