Collecting: Queer + Croydon
As part of the Museum of Croydon’s ‘What’s your Croydon?’ 2020 programme, artist Mark Goldby successfully submitted his expression of interest, with an exhibition due this Summer! The project not only builds upon current collections, but explores and identifies gaps in the Museum’s collection that Mark aims to fill or identify for future collecting. Read below to find out more about Mark’s project; from what collections we currently hold, the exhibition (from physical to now digital) due July 2020 and how YOU can be involved!
What is the project?
Queer + Croydon is an ongoing research project that aims to address the gaps in the Museum of Croydon’s LGBT+ collection. A Lesbian and Gay collection was first developed in 1995, but few things have been collected since the year 2000. We would like to acknowledge the successes made by campaigners and lobbyists, and the changing ways people identify with gender and sexuality.
There are several queer collections in London documenting the UK’s LGBT+ movement. Since the growing popularity of Croydon PrideFest and the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the Croydon Area Gay Society (CAGS), we felt it was time to focus our attention on a specific borough collection, with the help of the local queer community. My participation in two local LGBT+ groups; The Croydon Area Gay Society (CAGS) and the Rainbows Across Borders (RABS) has given me a unique opportunity to better understand the changing face of 50 years of LGBT+ social groups in Croydon.
I began by looking at a number of artefacts from the Museum’s LGBT+ History Trail on the theme of ‘Queer Visibility’. To launch the project, due July 2020, I will be displaying my research in an online exhibition on the Museum’s website, while also launching a public digital archive in the form of blog entries. These donations will inspire a textile artwork to be created during the exhibition, which will connect the threads of history with the contemporary.
I am asking LGBT+ people with a link to Croydon to add to this growing archive by sending the Museum digital donations in the form of written accounts, photos, videos and objects on the following subjects:
personal stories and histories of LGBT+ Croydonians
LGBT+ groups in Croydon
recollections of events and venues
Selected donations will be published with permission on the Museum’s blog. Submissions can be made from July – September 2020!
Mark Goldby, Artist & Exhibitor
What can you donate?
We are encouraging the donation of stories, photographs, objects, audio, film, blogs to artistic responses with strong links related to the LGBT+ community in Croydon to help develop an up to date Archive and Museum Collection. This collection will be available for research, learning programmes to potential future Museum events/exhibitions and institutional loans.
In addition to the collection and archive we would also like to create future LGBT+ handling boxes that can be used in learning handling sessions at the Museum and loaned to schools. For this the criteria can be a little wider to encompass London LGBT+ history (e.g. London Pride).
If you would like to donate, please click the link below and follow the instructions on the form. Due to Covid-19 we are not currently able to receive physical donations, but hope to continue doing so once restrictions have been lifted. Therefore we would request a donation of a digital image of the object, photograph and/or story with permission to use going forward. We can get back in touch about donating physically at a later date.
How to digitally donate?
Step 1: Fill in the form below. This gives us the permissions to use the item(s) you are offering for donation.
Step 2: Email your digital donation, as an attachment to the Museum at museum@croydon.gov.uk from the email address you provided on form, including your full name.
Read our Guidance and FAQs here on how to submit your digital donation.
