VRA 2023: Save the date for the Awards Ceremony! ✨🏆✨
Please join the celebration of this year’s recipients of the VRA’s Honorary Life Members Award, Distinguished Service Award, and vrcHost Membership Awards at the Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, September 27th, 2023, at 5:00pm CDT.
This exciting event will be accessible on Zoom and in-person at the San Antonio conference. Non-conference attendees are also warmly invited to attend. If you would like to attend online but are not registered for the conference, please click the link below to register to attend the Awards Ceremony at no cost.
For more information about the Awards Committee, including descriptions of all the awards, lists of previous recipients, and requirements for nomination, please visit the Awards Committee webpage.
It isn’t too early to think ahead to next year. If you would you like to see someone recognized for significant contributions to the VR field, you may send an e-mail of intent or query to the Awards Committee, or you may complete the preliminary scouting form.
We look forward to celebrating with you!
The VRA Awards Committee
VRA 2023: Black History River Boat Tour
Does our conference logo have you dreaming of a boat cruise down the San Antonio River? We are excited to bring that dream to life in a very special way!
Join the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM) for a private river cruise as a part of your VRA 2023 experience. SAAACAM’s Black History River Boat Tour is 90 minutes long and provides an untold perspective of African American influence on events and locations alongside the picturesque banks of the historic River Walk.
Our tour will take place Thursday, September 28th, at 6 p.m and is limited to 30 people. Registration is $25. The tour will last approximately 90 minutes, allowing us to see the sun set on the banks of the San Antonio River. Please note that this tour is not included in your conference registration and must be registered for separately.
Don't miss your chance to be part of this voyage through history – secure your registration now before the limited spots fill up!
Tour details:
Passengers will meet up at 218 S. Presa at the back patio of SAAACAM’s downtown exhibit space located in the La Villita historic arts village in building #20. Plaza Nacional is the name of the small plaza just off their back patio. Passengers must arrive at the meet-up location no later than 6, and the boat departs the dock at 6:30 p.m.
Questions about the registration form? Please contact Membership Services Coordinator Lise Hawkos at join@vraweb.org if you need help to complete your registration.
VRA 2023: These Boots Were Made for Walking 👢✨
As you prepare for a week of learning and networking at this year’s VRA conference, don't miss out on the chance to experience some of the best that San Antonio has to offer. No car? No problem. Here's a rundown of ten local attractions just a short jaunt from our homebase at Hotel Valencia Riverwalk.
River Walk: This one's a no-brainer. Take a leisurely walk along the picturesque San Antonio River, lined with cobblestone pathways, lush greenery, restaurants, and cafes.
The Alamo: [7-minute walk] You’ve definitely heard of it, but no trip to San Antonio is complete without a visit to the Alamo.
Briscoe Western Art Museum: [8-minute walk] Dive into the history and artistry of the American West at the Briscoe Museum.
La Villita Historic Arts Village: [10-minute walk] This tranquil city park is a National Historic District, featuring over 25 galleries, boutiques, and restaurants.
San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM, pronounced “say-cam”): [10-minute walk] Delve into the rich and often untold history of San Antonio's African American community, which is deeply intertwined with the city’s development.
River Walk Public Art Garden: [12-minute walk] As you wander along the River Walk, make sure to pause at the Public Art Garden. This outdoor gallery showcases a curated collection of sculptures and installations by local and international artists.
Historic Market Square (El Mercado): [13-minute walk] When you're ready for a change of pace, venture over to Market Square, a lively marketplace just minutes from our conference venue.
Yanaguana Garden at Hemisfair [14-minute walk] Enjoy a stroll through this dynamic urban park with interactive art, lush greenery, games, and several spots to eat and drink.
San Antonio Museum of Art: [24-minute walk} Explore Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Latin American, and contemporary collections in the former Lone Star Brewery.
Historic Pearl District: [35-minute walk] Extend your exploration a little further to the historic Pearl District, a former brewery turned vibrant mixed-use development. Enjoy strolls along the River Walk extension, explore unique boutiques, and discover a plethora of dining options.
Are you ready, boots? Stay tuned for more recommendations from the Local Planning Committee!
Contributor:
Maria Nuccilli
Junior Director for Events & Initiatives
Digital Collections Librarian, Wayne State University Library System
VRA 2023: Keynote Speaker Melissa Gohlke
The VRA Executive Board is pleased to announce the VRA 2023 Conference keynote speaker, Melissa Gohlke.
The VRA Executive Board is pleased to announce the VRA 2023 Conference keynote speaker, Melissa Gohlke. Gohlke is an urban historian who specializes in San Antonio LGBTQ+ history. For over a decade, Gohlke has been researching queer history in San Antonio and South Texas and sharing her passion for this history through extensive outreach activities such as presentations, media interactions, exhibits, and written work. Gohlke is the Assistant Archivist for UTSA Libraries Special Collections.
In her presentation, titled “Cradle of Texas Gay Liberty: An Alternate History of the Alamo City,” Gohlke will explore hidden threads of San Antonio’s history and stitch together an alternative interpretation of the city’s historical narrative by examining a wealth of primary sources found in archives and personal collections. You can read more about her topic below. The Convocation Keynote is scheduled for September 26th, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. CDT, and will be open to the public via a YouTube livestream at this link: LINK TO STREAM. Please share widely!
Gay Paree Program, LGBTQ Ephemera, UTSA Special Collections
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Cradle of Texas Gay Liberty: An Alternate History of the Alamo City
A historical record that focuses only on white, heteronormative society and events obscures many facets of San Antonio history. Peel back the veneer of normalcy and one can find rich, diverse, and unexpected strands of the city’s past. From female impersonators of the early 1900s to queer life in derelict spaces during the 1960s and finally, gay and lesbian bar culture of the1970s and beyond, the hidden threads of San Antonio’s history reveal themselves.
Lesbian prom. Lollie Johnson Papers, UTSA Special Collections
In this presentation, LGBTQ Historian Melissa Gohlke guides us on a virtual tour of the hidden history of San Antonio. We explore a subculture of people who pursued a gender bending lifestyle at the turn of the 20th century often amidst the prostitutes who plied their trade in the city’s infamous Red Light District. Vaudeville theaters and downtown cabarets provided venues in which middle and upper class women dominated the audiences. Fascination with gender transgressive performances made its way into elite affairs and fundraisers as affluent women took lessons learned at entertainment halls and appropriated them for their own purposes.
While gender bending displays were popular on the stages of local nightspots, exhibiting such displays outside a theatrical setting met with a different response. Gender transgression in public places was strictly forbidden. Police quickly snapped up and incarcerated men traipsing around in female attire on the sidewalks of San Antonio.
Jimmy James as Marilyn Monroe, performing at the Broadway Cabaret, 1982. Lollie Johnson Papers, UTSA Special Collections
Policing of sexual deviance and difference came not only from the city’s local police, but also from military police. Mediating social and sexual norms was viewed as pivotal for maintaining the physical and moral health of military personnel. Concerns over the spread of venereal disease among the troops underpinned these policing efforts. In the decades between the First and Second World Wars, local officials and military brass formalized mechanisms for surveillance over military personnel on the city’s streets.
Policing by military and local agents was a recurring threat to San Antonio’s emerging queer population. In the decades after WWII, gay and lesbian bars and gathering spots were under constant threat of police incursions. To avoid scrutiny, queer San Antonians selected havens in derelict places and country spaces that were off the radar of policing agencies. Within these spaces, they found social and sexual partners and laid the foundation for an emerging queer community. Over the decades, the city’s LGBTQ community has grown within and beyond spaces claimed by earlier generations. The area in and around San Antonio College emerged as visible queer turf and today is marked by gay bars, businesses, and gayborhoods where a rainbow crosswalk and Pride banners mark the area as safe and welcoming space for gay and trans San Antonians.
Lollie Johnson Papers, UTSA Special Collections
Abstract
A historical record that focuses on white, heteronormative society and events obscures many facets of San Antonio history. Peel back the veneer of normalcy and one can find rich, diverse, and unexpected strands of the city’s past. From female impersonators of the early 1900s to queer life in derelict spaces during the 1960s and finally, gay and lesbian bar culture of the1970s and beyond, the hidden threads of San Antonio’s history reveal themselves. In this presentation, LGBTQ Historian Melissa Gohlke explores these hidden histories and stitches together an alternative interpretation of the city’s historical narrative by examining a wealth of primary sources found in archives and personal collections.