JUNE MAZER LESBIAN ARCHIVES TO HAVE GRAND RE-OPENING ON SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2-5PM
EVENT TO FEATURE “THE SIMONE WALLACE COLLECTION OF SISTERHOOD BOOKSTORE,” AN INSTALLATION RECREATING THE EXPERIENCE OF THE BELOVED STORE, WHICH CLOSED ITS DOORS IN 1999
June Mazer Lesbian Archives is the largest archive on the West Coast dedicated to
preserving and promoting Lesbian and Feminist History and Culture
April XX, 2018: On Sunday, May 6, the Grand Re-Opening of the June Mazer Lesbian Archives will take place from 2-5PM at the newly renovated historic Werle Building in West Hollywood (626 N. Robertson, 90069). The event is themed around a celebration and remembrance of the Sisterhood Bookstore, which closed its doors in 1999. The exhibition “The Simone Wallace Collection of Sisterhood Bookstore” will feature items share by the beloved and legendary store’s co-founder Simone Wallace, who will be on hand as the Archives’ honored guest. Also on display will be curated selections from the Archives’ extensive inventory of personal and collective histories donated by hundreds of lesbians and feminists. Central to the Archives’ mission is to encourage all lesbians to contribute the everyday mementos of their lives so that others may discover them in the future.
The Archives’ Director of Communications Angela Brinskele will give comments at 3:45PM. Throughout the afternoon, guided tours of the June Mazer Lesbian Archives, including the Sisterhood Bookstore installation, are available to attendees. To register for a scheduled 30-minute tour, guests are asked to sign up at: https://mazergrandreopening.eventbrite.com. The tour and the event are free and open to the public. The Assembly, a West Hollywood-based café and community space, is an event sponsor donating coffee.
The Archive chose to spotlight the Sisterhood Bookstore at its grand reopening because of the store’s 27-year commitment to the diversity and the commonality of women’s experience, and its serving as a center of community for women in need of a sounding board. The bookstore’s mission was to thrive as an independent bookstore by offering the best service and the deepest, most diverse choice of books – and also provide a center for the women’s community where people would gather, exchange information, and the resources to move the community toward political action.
The largest major archive on the West Coast dedicated to preserving and promoting lesbian and feminist history and culture, the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives was founded in 1981 in Oakland, CA. The Archives moved to Southern California in 1985, and into the Werle Building – a 1940 Streamline Moderne structure owned by the City of West Hollywood – in 1989. The organization has been run solely by volunteers for most of its 37 years, operating with support from private donors and the City of West Hollywood. Additionally, the Archives has created an outreach and collection-building partnership with the UCLA Libraries.
The mission of the Archives is to collect, preserve and make accessible lesbian, feminist and women’s queer history as a means of providing a link among all generations of lesbians; to develop social activities, educational events, opportunities and programs that promote historical awareness; and to provide research and resource facilities. By creating a safe place for women to explore the richness of lesbian history, perhaps adding to it themselves, the Archives is paving the way for future generations to understand more fully their own identity and history and help maintain this vital link to their own past.
This program is presented with the support of the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Arts program.
The June Mazer Lesbian Archives is open every Tuesday from 11AM-1PM, on weekends, and at other times by appointment. Please email [need email here] or call 310-659-2478 before paying a visit.
http://www.mazerlesbianarchives.org/
https://www.facebook.com/mazerarchives
