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Living History: Celebrating 39 Years at the GLBT Historical Society & New Work by Marcel Pardo Ariza

  • LINE San Francisco 33 Turk Street San Francisco, CA, 94102 United States (map)

Join us for a fabulous night to celebrate two milestones: the GLBT Historical Society’s 39th anniversary, and the opening of All the Nights We Got to Dance, a new piece of multimedia art by acclaimed artist Marcel Pardo Ariza based on research at the GLBT Historical Society’s archives. The event will include brief remarks, a raffle with rare prizes from the GLBT Historical Society, beats by Juanita MORE!, as well as complimentary drinks and small bites.

This event is both a tribute to the past and an invitation to be a part of the future, as we continue to preserve and share our vast queer past.


Admission

Tickets start at $20 for members and $35 for non-members. RSVP and purchase tickets here.

NOTE: All ticket levels provide full access to the event. Tickets at the Enthusiast level and above help to support discounted admission and support our work to preserve and share LGBTQ history.

Location

The LINE San Francisco, Dark Bar (1st floor)

33 Turk Street, San Francisco, CA 94102


About the GLBT Historical Society

Founded in 1985, the GLBT Historical Society is recognized internationally as a leader in the field of LGBTQ public history. The Society’s archives hold one of the largest collections of LGBTQ historic materials ever assembled and connects tens of thousands of people with their history every year through our museum, archives, and public events.

About All the Nights We Got to Dance

All the Nights We Got to Dance is a multimedia site-specific installation that celebrates historical places that have shaped queer nightlife in San Francisco. It’s an homage to the Compton's Cafeteria Riots, as well as the bars and clubs that have marked the queer and trans history of San Francisco. Many of these special venues have closed due to high rent prices and gentrification, and this piece brings all the spirits, kisses, dances, cruising encounters that took place inside these places. May we all remember all the nights we got to dance here, there, together in the Transgender District of San Francisco.

About Juanita MORE!

Juanita MORE! is a denizen of the limelight. For almost three decades, the laudable hostess has blitzed San Francisco with high glamour, drag irreverence, and danceable beats that have illuminated the entire city. MORE! continues to be a heaping dollop of generosity and a sprinkle of nerve. She inspires those around her to make positive differences in their lives and communities — and doing it all with timeless elegance and an innovative spirit. Most recently Miss MORE! holds the title of Empress of the Imperial Council of San Francisco — one of the oldest LGBTQ non-profit organizations globally.

To date, MORE! has helped to raise over $1 million dollars for local charities — among them GLBT Historical Society, Our Trans Youth, Q Foundation, Queer Lifespace, Transgender Law Center, and more. MORE! tirelessly fundraises for organizations in San Francisco that are adamant about helping communities in the seven-by-seven thrive, all while shining light and offering support to those who’ve been overlooked for far too long.

MORE! embodies what it means to be a conduit of connection. MORE! brings the people together to fundraise; celebrate community; to demand social change around San Francisco and elsewhere. Her culinary expressions are an extension of what mothers have been doing in their kitchens for generations — which, simply states, is sharing “loads of love.”

About Marcel Pardo Ariza

Marcel Pardo Ariza (b. Bogotá, Colombia) (they/them) is a trans visual artist, educator and curator who explores the relationship between queer and trans kinship through constructed photographs, site-specific installations and public programming. Their work is rooted in close dialogue and collaboration with trans, non-binary and queer friends and peers, most of whom are performers, artists, educators, policymakers, and community organizers. Their practice celebrates collective care and intergenerational connection. Their work is invested in creating long term interdisciplinary collaborations and opportunities that are non-hierarchical and equitable.

Their work has recently been exhibited at the McEvoy Foundation for the Arts; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; Palo Alto Art Center; San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; Palm Springs Art Museum; and the Institute of Contemporary Art San José. Ariza is the recipient of the 2022 SFMOMA SECA Award, the 2021 CAC Established Artists Award; the 2020 San Francisco Artadia Award; 2018-19 Alternative Exposure Grant; 2017 Tosa Studio Award; and a 2015 Murphy & Cadogan Contemporary Art Award. Ariza is a studio member at Minnesota Street Project, and the co-founder of Art Handlxrs*, an organization supporting queer, BIPOC, women, trans and non-binary folks in professional arts industry support roles. They are currently a lecturer at California College of the Arts and San Francisco State University, and based in Oakland, CA.


Join the GLBT Historical Society

Become a member of the GLBT Historical Society for discounted access to this event, and free access to our museum and educational programming all year long.

Photo Credits

Event photo: José Sarria performing at the Black Cate Cafe, 1950s, José Sarria papers (1996-01), GLBT Historical Society. Photo of Marcel Pardo Ariza courtesy of same. Photo of Juanita MORE! courtesy of same.


This artwork and event were supported, in part, through funds from the San Francisco Arts Commission and Market Street Arts.