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Hidden Histories: Discovering Los Angeles' LGBTQ+ Collections Main Menu Hidden Histories: Discovering Los Angeles' LGBTQ+ Collections Welcome to Hidden Histories! Discovering Los Angeles' LGBTQ+ Collections! What is Hidden Histories? A partnership between ONE Archives at USC and L.A. as Subject, Hidden Histories' goal is to create a centralized resource of LGBTQ+ archival material for researchers and community members. Participating Institutions L.A. as Subject member institutions from across Southern California have joined with ONE and LAAS to collaborate on this project. Topical Guide Collections from participating institutions organized based on the subject or topic of the materials.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Library Special Collections Punk Archive

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The UCLA Library Special Collections Punk Archive contains collections, memorabilia and other items related to punk music and culture in Los Angeles and Hollywood.

LGBTQ+ topics and themes represented in the collections held by the UCLA Punk Archive include arts and entertainment and gay men.

Featured Collections

American Hotel (The) & Al's Bar Project records, 1976-2004

The American Hotel and Al's Bar Project was a grassroots creative complex on the corner of Hewitt Street and Traction Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. Conceptual artist Marc Kreisel designed the project as a work of functional sculpture to circulate money and creative support back into the community. This collection consists of flyers, posters, photographs, correspondence, scripts, Rolodexes, calendars, theater programs, press releases, financial records, and bar memorabilia such as the cash can, the jukebox records, the beer taps, t-shirts, signs, and a microphone.

Filter (Karen) photographs, 1979-1985

Karen Filter is a photographer who documented the Los Angeles punk scene. Materials consist of 22 black and white silver gelatin prints and three resin-coated prints. These images capture performers and scene makers across Los Angeles and provide documentation of historic venues such as Hong Kong Cafe, New Wave Theater, Whisky-a-Go-Go, and Club 88.

Griffin (S.A.) collection of underground poetry, Scott Wannberg, & The Carma Bums, circa 1950-2015

S.A. Griffin is a poet, performance artist, publisher, and actor with deep roots in the Los Angeles poetry and punk scenes beginning in the 1980s. This collection contains monographs, serials, manuscripts, correspondence, ephemera, audiovisual material, artwork, and memorabilia. This collection also includes the papers of fellow poet Scott Wannberg.

Heavy Metal Music material collection, 1964-2016

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that began to emerge in the late 1960s. Many subgenres fall within metal music, including glam metal, thrash metal, and death metal. In Los Angeles, the Sunset Strip area of West Hollywood was home to a vibrant heavy metal scene, particularly in the 1980s. This collection consists of published works, archival material, and ephemera related to heavy metal music and fan culture.

Lens (Jenny) photographs

This collection is currently unprocessed, please contact the archive for more information.

Romeo (Darby) collection of zines, 1987-2013

The collection consists of privately printed and distributed arts and literary magazines.

Sedillo (Victor) photographs, 1979-1980

Victor Sedillo documented the early Los Angeles punk scene of the late 1970s, with an emphasis on San Pedro, Wilmington, and Long Beach. This collection includes black and white images of performances, bands, fans, and venues across Los Angeles.

Contact the UCLA Punk Archive

For more information about the UCLA Punk Archive's LGTBQ+ collections and holdings, including citation and copyright information, please contact Kelly Besser.

✉ Email: kellybesser@library.ucla.edu
☎ Call: 310-206-2753

The UCLA Punk Archive is an L.A. as Subject member. For more information about L.A. as Subject, visit their website here.