With the opening of their brand new mobile history exhibit, The Arizona Queer Archives wants to invite neighbors to learn about LGBTQ+ history and civil rights in Arizona.
AQA leaders said they also want to make the new project a living, present testament to history; so, they’re asking visitors, if they would like, to include their own personal items in the archives.
Dr. Jamie Lee, AQA founder, sees the mobile exhibit as map that can show guests who come to the Institute for LGBT Studies at the University of Arizona how the archives and stories connect with each other.
“One of the things with archives is that you need to call and you need to know what collections are there,” Lee said. “Then they maybe could say they want to look at box seven.” But with the panels from the mobile exhibit, Lee said, viewers can get a first impression of each archive collection.
AQA started as a video collection of stories around Southern Arizona. By 2011, the group had finally collected tangible artifacts.
Now, in 2024, Lee said AQA wants more people to add to the community’s present and future.