One Archives Foundation is celebrating 70 years since the publication of the groundbreaking ONE Magazine. ONE Archives announced that the ONE Magazine at Seventy exhibition will launch Circa, a first-of-its-kind queer histories festival to be held across Los Angeles County this October 2023. Organized by ONE Archives Foundation, curated by ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, and co-presented with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the exhibition will include an opening event on October 1 at the Center’s Advocate & Gochis Galleries and courtyard.
ONE Magazine at Seventy highlights the story of triumph and courage surrounding ONE Magazine, the first nationally distributed LGBTQ+ magazine in the United States published by ONE, Inc., the predecessor to ONE Archives Foundation. The exhibition brings to life the legacy of the magazine through newly uncovered audio recordings, rare photographs, historic posters, and original magazine plates selected from the collections at ONE Archives at USC Libraries. Curators Alexis Bard Johnson, Quetzal Arévalo, and Sela Kerr place these historical ephemera in dialog with contemporary issues, emphasizing the continuum between past struggles and today’s LGBTQ+ civil rights conversations.
“Our exhibition examines themes that ONE tackled in its magazine that remain pertinent today,” said the curators. “This includes the fight against police brutality, the importance of building community and cultivating joy, and the protection of free speech.”
The exhibition opening reception at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Advocate & Gochis Galleries on October 1 will be a celebratory afternoon featuring music in the courtyard, welcome remarks from ONE Archives Foundation Executive Director Tony Valenzuela, and a short presentation by the curators. Exhibition materials will highlight iconic artifacts from ONE Magazine’s history such as the October 1954 issue that became the focal point of the landmark Supreme Court case ONE, Inc. v. Olesen, which was the first in U.S. history to rule in favor of LGBTQ+ freedom of speech and expression. Visitors will have free admission to the exhibition, on view in the galleries from October 1–November 5. Tickets to the opening reception and official gallery hours will be available in September.
“ONE Magazine at Seventy is a rare look at 1950s and 1960s queer life, when despite having no rights and facing many dangers, LGBTQ+ people established community long before Stonewall,” said Tony Valenzuela, ONE Archives Foundation’s Executive Director. “The exhibition is a fitting start to Circa, where dozens of arts and cultural programs will explore how queer and trans communities have built upon this past, and reveal the ongoing challenges, joys, and triumphs of LGBTQ+ life today.”
ONE Magazine at Seventy serves as the kick-off event for the Circa festival, which will feature 70 programs that will take place over 30 days at locations across Los Angeles County. The festival is the first and only large-scale arts and culture series honoring LGBTQ+ History Month. Throughout the month of October, audiences can expect to attend a robust, inspiring lineup of film screenings, readings, performances, panel discussions, exhibitions and more co-produced by celebrated artists, activists, and community organizations from Los Angeles’ diverse arts and cultural community.
ONE Magazine at Seventyis organized by ONE Archives Foundation with co-presenter the Los Angeles LGBT Center as part of Circa 2023. The exhibition is curated by ONE Archives at the USC Libraries Curator Alexis Bard Johnson, curatorial assistant Quetzal Arévalo, and research assistant Sela Kerr.
Circa: Queer Histories Festival is presented by ONE Archives Foundation. Circa is made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org. Additional support is provided by the City of West Hollywood.
More information on Circa, including our full lineup of programs, will be available in the coming months.
