Leather Archives & Museum

The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) is a community archives, library, and museum located in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Chuck Renslow and Tony DeBlase in 1991, its mission is making “leather, kink, BDSM, and fetish accessible through research, preservation, education and community engagement.” Renslow and DeBlase founded the museum in response to the AIDS crisis, during which the leather and fetish communities’ history and belongings were frequently lost or intentionally suppressed and discarded.

The LA&M is a leading conservator of queer erotic art. Its permanent collection features some of the most iconic LGBTQ artists of the twentieth century, including most artwork by Bill Schmeling and many works by Dom Orejudos.

The museum is open to patrons 18 years of age and over. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and a member of the Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM). Research assistance is available upon request.

History

In 1991, Dom Orejudos, Chuck Renslow’s partner of 40 years, died from AIDS. When Orejudos was alive, Renslow had begun selling off some of his art to pay for medical treatment, but upon his death, Renslow was determined to preserve Orejudos’ art and legacy. Renslow was unable to find a museum willing to preserve Orejudos’ entire body of work; although multiple museums expressed interest in his art, they wished to pick and choose specific artworks, whereas Renslow wished to keep the collection intact.

After consulting his friend Tony DeBlase, Renslow set about creating a new museum to forever preserve not just Orejudos’ art and legacy, but also that of other leather artists and trailblazers. In Renslow’s words, “we were in the thick of the AIDS epidemic and with each death, families and friends were unknowingly tossing our history into dumpsters. That there was a safe place to conserve that history simply made more sense.” (According to former LA&M president Jon Krongaard, families of AIDS victims intentionally erased their leather and fetish legacies because they found it “sick or perverse.”)

The LA&M was incorporated in the State of Illinois in 1991. It held a ribbon cutting ceremony and its first public gallery show on November 4, 1995. Its first storefront was at 5013 N Clark Street, adjacent to Man’s Country bathhouse. As envisioned, the LA&M became a sanctuary for leather and fetish history and art; the scale of donated art and artifacts quickly overwhelmed the capacity of the Clark St storefront.

Members of the leather and fetish communities played a pivotal role in establishing the museum. In addition to donating much of the collection, they provided crucial financial support. As the museum outgrew its storefront, Renslow and DeBlase identified a former synagogue on Greenview Ave ideal to house the growing collection. They could afford only $3,000 of the $60,000 down payment required to buy the Greenview Ave property, so they appealed to International Mr. Leather attendees, who raised $58,000 in donations in a single night. The LA&M moved into the Greenview Ave building, in which it remains to this day, in 1999. Over the next five years, the community raised the funds necessary to pay off the building’s mortgage.

DeBlase served as Vice President of the Board of Directors of the LA&M from 1992 until 2000. In May 2006, the LA&M’s executive director Rick Storer participated in a panel discussion entitled “Censorship & Sexually Explicit Materials” at the 2006 LGBTQ Archives, Libraries, Museums and Special Collections (ALMS) Conference.

In May 2009, the LA&M announced that International Mr. Leather proceeds would be placed in a trust to benefit the museum. The museum also receives funding from other leather events including Cleveland Annual Leather Weekend (CLAW) and Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL) in D.C.

In 2016, the LA&M celebrated its 25th anniversary with a weekend-long celebration featuring Gayle Rubin and Guy Baldwin.

In 2024, the LA&M announced a capital campaign to renovate the museum, including the addition of dedicated research space, flexible event space, and ADA-compliant accessibility.

Collection

It is estimated that just one percent of the museum’s collection is on display at any given time.

Leather pride flag

The LA&M holds one of three original leather pride flags created by Tony DeBlase in 1989.

Drawings and illustrations

The LA&M has the world’s largest collection of original work by Dom Orejudos (Etienne). In 2019, Bill Schmeling (the Hun) donated his entire personal collection of artwork and notes.

The museum also holds art by Chuck Arnett, Giacomo “Jack” Bozzi (Adam), David Grieger, Beau Lee James, Charles Kerbs (MATT), Michael Kirwan, John Klamik (Sean), Touko Valio Laaksonen (Tom of Finland), Donald Merrick (Domino), Mike Miksche (Steve Masters), Olaf Odegaard, Jacki Randall, Rex, Al Shapiro (A. Jay), Joe T, Dennis Walsh, and Bill Ward.

One of the museum’s largest paintings is The Last Supper In a Gay Leather Bar With Judas Giving Christ the Finger by Steven Brown, inspired by the artist’s struggle to reconcile faith and sexuality.

Photography and videography

LA&M holds photographs by Kris Studios, a male physique photography studio founded by Renslow and Orejudos (named in part to honor transgender pioneer Christine Jorgensen). It also has photographs by Kenneth Anger, George Dureau, Efrain J. Gonzalez, Adam Kozik, Lochai, and Robert Mapplethorpe. LA&M’s photos, videos, and oral histories chronicling International Mr. Leather and International Ms. Leather were featured in a 2015 documentary by Christina Court: High Shine: 15 Years of International Ms Bootblack.

Literature

LA&M holds complete sets of the magazines Drummer (original run) and Bound & Gagged. In 2009, the LA&M acquired the 25-box collection of papers of Robert Davolt, author and organizer of the San Francisco Pride leather contingent, and former editor of Bound & Gagged.

The collection includes records of leather and fetish organizations such as Chicago Hellfire Club, Conversio Virium, International Mr. Leather, Mineshaft, MIR (formerly Mr. International Rubber), National Leather Association, and Society of Janus, as well as the papers of Tony DeBlase. Hundreds of oral history recordings, videos and transcripts by leather and fetish trailblazers such as Joe Laiacona (better known by his alias Jack Rinella) and Larry Townsend are also available to researchers.

Artifacts

The collection includes artifacts (such as vests, patches and pins) from LGBTQ motorcycle clubs and leather clubs from around the world, including Centurions of Columbus, Crucible MC, Empire City MC, Rochester Rams MC, Stallions MC, and Wheels MC. LA&M also displays ephemera from historic gay establishments, such as a glory hole from Man’s Country in Chicago, and a dress code sign from the Mineshaft in New York City.

LA&M holds hundreds of bootblacking artifacts, many from bootblack competitions such International Mr. Bootblack (IMrBB), International Ms. Bootblack (IMsBB), and International Community Bootblack (ICBB). These include IMrBB 1994 William Shields, Jr.’s bootblacking kit, IMrBB 2000 David Hawk’s bootblacking chair, and a bootblacking chair used by Harry Shattuck and ‘Daddy’ William Shields, Jr. in gay bars in Chicago, Boston, Providence and New York City between the 1990s and 2000s.

Body modification artifacts in the collection include Cliff Raven’s tattooing memorabilia; stories, artwork, and stencils by Samuel Steward; publications by Fakir Musafar; and photographs belonging to Sailor Sid Diller.

Gallery of artifacts

Facilities

Etienne Auditorium

The LA&M contains a 164-seat auditorium named in honor of Dom Orejudos (who signed his artwork under the alias Etienne); the auditorium is adorned with original Etienne artwork from the Gold Coast bar, Man’s Country bathhouse, and elsewhere.

The auditorium is a hub for leather- and fetish-related events, community meetings, and lectures. The event space is available to rent for a fee, but is made available for free for small not-for-profit community group gatherings.

The auditorium is home to the LA&M’s annual Fetish Film Forum.

Teri Rose Memorial Library

The Teri Rose Memorial Library, opened in 2005, allows visitors and researchers free access to a wide variety of books, periodicals, and catalogs. The non-circulating library contains more than 5,000 books, 11,000 magazines (including Honcho, Mandate, and Mattachine Review), and 100 journals.

Gift shop

LA&M’s gift shop sells vintage erotica, apparel, and a variety of merchandise, much of which features art by Etienne and the Hun. The gift shop has a small physical presence in the museum as well as an online store.

Recognition

In 2016, Chicago City Council designated September 18, 2016 as “LEATHER ARCHIVES & MUSEUM DAY” in honor of the museum’s 25th anniversary (Resolution R2016-704).

The LA&M was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2017.

The LA&M has received numerous honors and awards from leather organizations, including:

Pantheon of Leather Awards – Large Nonprofit Organization of the Year: 1997, 2001, 2006, and 2011.

International Deaf Leather Recognition Award: 2011.

Induction into Leather Hall of Fame: 2019.

LA&M leaders have also received numerous honors:

Chuck Renslow, who died in 2017, is listed as the Chairman In Memoriam of the LA&M. The LA&M also gives out the Chuck Renslow President’s Award to honor individuals and organizations for their contributions to the museum.

Joseph Bean, while executive director of the LA&M, received the Man of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards in 1998 and 2000, and the Steve Maidhof Award for National or International Work from National Leather Association International in 1998.

Rick Storer, while executive director of the LA&M, received the President’s Award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards in 2005, the Man of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards in 2008, the Mr. Marcus Hernandez Lifetime Achievement Award (Man) as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards in 2012, and the National Leather Association International Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

Exhibits

Past and present exhibits include:

Fakir Musafar (2016)

A Room of Her Own (2016) – a chronicle of women’s leather history

Excavating Experience: The Presence of LGBTQ People of Color in Cook County, IL (2019)

Verboten: Works by Rex (2021)

The Golden Era: Leather, Levi and Motorcycle Clubs (2021)

Sparks in a Dark Room by Gabriel Martinez (2023-2024)

In regard to the name of A Room of Her Own, curator Alex Warner wrote:As I began work for the first exhibit installation of the Women’s Leather History Project, I was excited that we were both literally and figuratively making room for Leatherwomen’s history in the LA&M. It was out of this line of thinking that A Room of Her Own emerged, building on Virginia Woolf’s 1929 feminist text A Room of One’s Own that argues for women’s need for space to think and create.

See also

Gerber/Hart Library and Archives

ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives

Tom of Finland Foundation

References

External links

Official website

Media related to Leather Archives & Museum at Wikimedia Commons