Relive the wild downtown drag balls of 1970s San Francisco through a treasure trove of recently discovered photos by the legendary Roz Joseph. On display at the The GLBT History Museum starting October 23!
>>> ABOUT THE OPENING PARTY <<<
Come celebrate the rediscovery of these wonderful photos with music, food, drinks, comments from curator Joey Plaster, and a diverse cross-section of the city's arts, nightlife, and drag scene. DJ Irwin Swirnoff joins us for a disco set! Friday, October 23, 7:00-9:00 p.m. (suggested donation: $10).
>>> ABOUT THE SHOW <<<
A new exhibition at the GLBT History Museum, "REIGNING QUEENS: THE LOST PHOTOS OF ROZ JOSEPH," presents evocative photographs of San Francisco's epic drag and costume balls of the mid-1970s. The color images were created by noted photographer Roz Joseph, whose drag-queen series was rediscovered after she donated her work to the GLBT Historical Society. The vintage prints will be displayed starting October 23.
"Roz Joseph documented a world of self-styled baronesses in diamond tiaras, elaborate 'royal' coronations and gender-bending performance," notes curator Joey Plaster. "Her photos show how gay men deployed theater and fantasy to make very real contributions to San Francisco's gay community. We're excited to bring these long-lost images back into public view almost four decades after they were made."
Roz Joseph was born in the Bronx in 1926 and studied photography in New York City. In the 1960s, she shot images in Europe and North Africa. In 1970, she moved to San Francisco, where she began photographing city scenes. In 1991, Chronicle Books published a volume of her work, "Details: The Architect's Art." She also published in Artweek and California Living. Her prints have been exhibited at the San Francisco Art Institute, the California Museum of Photography and Paradox Gallery. Joseph has been a resident of San Francisco for 45 years.
The curator of "Reigning Queens," Joey Plaster, is a doctoral candidate in American Studies at Yale University. He formerly headed the oral history program at the GLBT Historical Society and currently serves on its board of directors.
Many of the drag queens Joseph photographed were associated with an organization called the Imperial Court (The Imperial Council of San Francisco, Inc.), which annually elects a drag empress who raises funds for local charities. Founded in San Francisco in 1965 and now established in cities around the U.S. and in several other countries, the Imperial Court system is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
"Reigning Queens" will be on display October 23, 2015, through February 2016, in the Community Gallery of the GLBT History Museum at 4127 18th St. in San Francisco. Regular admission to the museum is $5.00 (general); $3.00 (California students with ID); free for members. The galleries are open Monday and Wednesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5:00 p.m.; closed Tuesday.
For more information, call (415) 621-1107 or visit www.glbthistory.org/museum.
>>> ABOUT THE MUSEUM <<<
Open since January 2011, the GLBT History Museum is the first full-scale, stand-alone museum of its kind in the United States. Our Main Gallery features a long-term exhibition on San Francisco LGBT history, "Queer Past Becomes Present." Our Front Gallery and Community Gallery host changing exhibitions. We also sponsor living-history discussions, author events and other programs.
The museum is a project of The GLBT Historical Society, a research center and archives that collects, preserves and interprets the history of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and the communities that support them. Celebrating our 30th anniversary this year, the society maintains one of the world's largest collections of GLBT historical materials. For more information, visit www.glbthistory.org.