December 19, 2013
I contributed a rubbing of Parisian poet, playwright, novelist, and American expatriate Natalie Clifford Barney to poet and activist Steven Reigns’ project THE GAY RUB. This rubbing will be on display with many others in February 2014 at the University of Southern California’s ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives gallery space in West Hollywood. The opening Reception on February 1st from 6pm-9pm. Click here for the events listing on their website. More details to follow!
I visited Barney’s website at the cemetery in Paris in November 2012, and wore out my arm with crayon and fabric making this labor of love. An epic figure, and well-deserving of attention.
The brilliant and inventive poet Steven Reigns has been working on his project ‘The Gay Rub” for many, many years…collecting and archiving the gravestone rubbings from tombstones of queer folks. From the project website:
The Gay Rub is a project devoted to collecting rubbings from GLBTQ historical markers, signs, tombstones, cenotaphs, plaques, and monuments. By gathering GLBTQ rubbings from across the globe, these public historic commemorations can be viewed at once. GLBT history and landmarks are underrepresented and under appreciated. The Gay Rub’s aim is to help draw more attention to the markers and the GLBT significance that prompted them.
What does Gay Rub mean?
Rub as a verb can mean to upset someone “Rub someone the wrong way.” It can also mean truth “That’s the rub” or social friction “He got a lot of rub for that.” It’s also slang for sexual activity. Most importantly, it is an abbreviation for the word rubbing. All meanings apply in this situation. GLBT people have caused social friction and others find our lifestyle upsetting. The Gay Rub collection will be an assembling of our gay truth and the rubbings that come from it.
And please note, ye people of earth:
Submissions are being sought for rubbings of GLBT historical markers, signs, tombstones, cenotaphs, plaques, and monuments from around the world.
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The ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries is the largest repository of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) materials in the world. Founded in 1952, ONE Archives currently houses over two million archival items including periodicals, books, film, video and audio recordings, photographs, artworks, organizational records, and personal papers. ONE Archives has been a part of the University of Southern California Libraries since 2010.