The Leather Archives & Museum (the LA&M), located in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States, was founded by Chuck Renslow and Tony DeBlase in 1991, “as a community archives, library, and museum of leather, kink, fetish, and BDSM history and culture.” Its mission statement reads, “Making leather, kink, BDSM, and fetish accessible through research, preservation, education and community engagement.”
In addition to activities in Chicago, the LA&M sends “traveling” exhibits around the country, and provides email and telephone research assistance.
The LA&M is open to those 18 years old or older due to the adult nature of some of its contents.
Permanent exhibits
The permanent exhibits at the LA&M are the Fakir Musafar exhibit, the Dungeon exhibit (which shows some of the museum’s artifacts in an erotic environment), the Leatherbar exhibit, and the A Room of Her Own exhibit (about women’s leather history). In regard to the name of the A Room of Her Own exhibit, curator Alex Warner has written,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.
Etienne Auditorium
The LA&M has the Etienne Auditorium, which is used for the LA&M film series, Cinekink, the German Fetisch Film Festival, leather-related contests, demonstrations, community meetings, lectures, and as a place where leather groups and clubs can gather for free. The auditorium has numerous murals done by Dom Orejudos, who used the pseudonym Etienne, the French equivalent of his middle name Stephen.[11][6]Notable items
The LA&M has the world’s biggest collection of original pieces by Dom Orejudos under the name Etienne, some Touko Valio Laaksonen (who used the pseudonym Tom of Finland) originals, and complete sets of the magazines Drummer (before its relaunch) and Bound & Gagged. It also has one of three original leather pride flags which the flag’s creator Tony DeBlase assembled as a prototype, and all of the artwork, notes, and other materials of Bill Schmeling. The LA&M also has notable writings such as the records of International Mr. Leather, National Leather Association, and the Mineshaft, and the papers of Tony DeBlase. It also has all photos by Kris Studios, a male physique photography studio founded by Chuck Renslow and Dom Orejudos, that took photos for gay magazines they published. The studio was named in part to honor transgender pioneer Christine Jorgensen. Renslow later co-founded the LA&M with Tony DeBlase.History
In August 1991, the LA&M was incorporated in the state of Illinois. Tony DeBlase served as Vice President of the Board of Directors of the LA&M from 1992 until 2000. The LA&M moved into its current building in 1999. In May 2006, the LA&M’s executive director Rick Storer participated in a panel discussion entitled “Censorship & Sexually Explicit Materials” at the 2006 GLBT ALMS (Archives, Libraries, Museums and Special Collections) Conference. In May 2009, the LA&M announced that International Mr. Leather proceeds would be placed in a trust to benefit the museum 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 the editor of Bound & Gagged. In July of 2019, Bill Schmeling donated all of his artwork, notes, and other materials to the LA&M, shortly before he died in September.
Library reading room
