Artwork, photographs, and papers of Columbus, Ohio artist and founder of the Red Party (circuit party) Corbett Reynolds. These papers include materials related to Rudely Elegant, Reynolds's bar and dance club in Columbus.
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents the life and activities of artist and gay-oriented nightclub impressario Corbett Reynolds of Columbus, Ohio. The collection includes correspondence; photographs; press releases, exhibition catalogs, publicity materials and flyers relating to exhibitions of Reynolds's work; articles and clippings; a VHS videocassette; and posters. The collection also includes posters, photographs, and ephemera related to Reynold's gay-centric bar Rudely Elegant and his circuit party, the Red Party. The papers were donated by Reynolds's son, Andrew Jensen, who writes, " . . . taking many items from his home and, in some cases, throwing them in the trash. I knew the historic importance of these posters, some of which may be the only ones to survive intact, so I took it upon myself to save them from this same fate."
The collection is organized in three series and four subseries.
Series 1: Posters and Artwork, 1979-2001, undated. This series includes original posters for recurring theme parties and many of the Red Parties. This series also includes original artwork and designs by Reynolds.
Subseries 1.1: Rudely Elegant, 1980-2001, undated. This subseries contains original poster art done in silk screen, collage, and other types of media, and reproduced poster art created by Reynolds to advertise his annual Red Party as well as other themed parties. This subseries also includes the poster for the final Red Party, Red Fetish, held in September 2001. This artwork was used at Reynolds's bar, Rudely Elegant, as well as in other venues.
Subseries 1.2: Posters and Artwork, 1980-1999, undated. This subseries contains original artwork either created by Reynolds or given to him. It includes materials associated with Reynolds's art installations as well as a wallpaper design and images of his artwork.
Series 2: Photographs, 1962-2001, undated. This series contains photographs from Reynolds's home in Victorian Village, Columbus, Ohio. It also contains photographs from many of the Red and themed parties. It includes photographs of Reynolds himself and as his drag persona, Cora, Miss Bat-N-Rouge. There are photographs of his art and some of his art installations.
Series 3: Personal Papers, 1980-2015, undated. This series contains papers relating to Rudely Elegant and Reynolds's theme parties including the Red Party. It also contains personal papers and news accounts.
Subseries 1.1: Rudely Elegant, 1992-2000, undated. This subseries contains ephemera and material relating to Rudely Elegant and various Red parties.
Subseries 1.2: Personal Papers and News Accounts, 1980-2015, undated. This subseries contains a scrapbook, correspondence, biographical material, resumes, exhbition material and ephemera, material related to various works of art by Reynolds, and many news accounts about Reynolds, his art, and his contributions to Columbus society and the local LGBT community.
Arrangement:
The collection is organized in three series.
Series 1: Posters and Artwork, 1979-2001, undated
Subseries 1.1: Rudely Elegant, 1980-2001, undated
Subseries 1.2: Posters and Artwork, 1980-1999, undated
Series 2: Photographs, 1962-2001, undated
Series 3: Personal Papers, 1980-2015, undated
Subseries 3.1: Rudely Elegant, 1992-2000, undated
Subseries 3.2: Personal Papers and News Accounts, 1980-2015, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Corbett Reynolds was born in Tacoma, Washington on April 7, 1944. He was educated at the Columbus College of Art and Design and graduated in 1966. For many years he was an artist and designer specializing in wall coverings and textiles. He made his home in Columbus, Ohio and purchased a late nineteenth century mansion, 1153 Neil Avenue, in the Victorian Village section of Columbus. In 1975 he purchased the Avondale Theater on West Broad Street in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus. With the help of his friends, Corbett turned the Art Deco theatre into a gay-centric nightclub and named it Rudely Elegant. Rudely Elegant officially opened in 1977 and was inspired by the discos in New York and Chicago. The decor of Rudely Elegant was changed regularly for thematic parties and events. Guest performers at the club included Grace Jones, Sylvester, and Divine.
It was with the circuit party that Reynolds gained a national following for Rudely Elegant. Circuit parties, also known as disco parties, began in the late 1970s. These dance parties lasted one night only, and were generally tied to one unifying theme or color. The parties were mainly found in cities with a large gay male population. With the advent of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s many parties became fundraisers for local service organizations and charities associated with HIV/AIDS. The parties became popular, more elaborate, and more expensive into the 1990s. Some patrons would follow the parties from city to city as the year progressed. By 2000 the popularity of the circuit parties had seemingly peaked and their number has been in steady decline.
Reportedly, Reynolds began his circuit party, know as the Red Party, in 1977, one of the first in the United States. Reynolds chose the color red as his theme because it was his favorite color, and "It is the color of passion, both in love and creativity." The parties had themes such as: Red & Black (1993), Red House Saloon (1998), and Big Top Red (2000). Reynolds's other themes included Tropicana, Halloween, Black, and Uniform. Rudely Elegant closed in 1985 but Reynolds continued to have themed circuit parties at other locations, eventually locating for good at the Valley Dale Ballroom near Westerville. The parties are said to have drawn 3,000 persons from around the United States. Many of the parties had guest hosts, among them Holly Woodlawn, Mink Stole, and Tammy Faye Baker Messner. David Borchers assisted Reynolds with many of these events, and they have been described as ". . . part installation, part performance art, much dancing, and magic and spectacle like no one had seen in Columbus before (or since)." The last Red Party, Red Fetish, occurred in 2001.
Additionally, Reynolds continued his artistic activities. He created many works of art and art installations in Columbus and New York City. He also received grants and corporate commissions from a number of agencies and individuals. He died suddenly on May 1, 2002 and is buried at the Crawford County Memory Gardens, Galion, Ohio. Reynolds had one son, Andrew Jensen.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian by Andrew and Tawna Jensen, 2016.
Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The personal and business papers of longtime, gay civil rights activist, editor, and publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News (PGN), Mark Segal.
Scope and Contents:
The papers document the life, activism, and publishing activities of LGBT activist Mark Segal. The collection includes correspondence between Segal and elected officials, members of the news media, entertainers and others, newsletters, news articles, writings both original and collected, clippings, photographs both official and personal. This collection also includes papers and photographs documenting the first Gay Pride event in New York City in 1970, various Democratic National Conventions, other Pride celebrations and events, and an Elton John benefit concert Segal produced. The collection includes papers documenting the William Way senior housing center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for elder gay people. There are early papers, newsletters, and ephemera relating to the Gay Liberation Front organization, the Gay Activists Alliance, the Gay Raiders, and many more organizations that sprang up in the post-Stonewall era; programs from events; invitations; posters, and bumper stickers.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into six series.
Series 1: Segal, Mark, Personal, Subject, Photographs, and Audio-Visual Files, 1951-2018, undated
Subseries 1.1: Personal Files, 1961-2017, undated
Subseries 1.2: Subject Files, 1951-2017, undated
Subseries 1.3: Photographs, 1960-2018, undated
Subseries 1.4: Audio-Visual, 2005-2014, undated
Series 2: Philadelphia Gay News (PGN) and MASCO Communications Company and Lambda Award Files, 1972-2016, undated
Subseries 2.1: Company Files, 1972-2016, undated
Subseries 2.2: Lambda Awards, 1978-2000
Series 3: Organizations and Associations, 1962-2017, undated
Series 4: Newspapers and Periodicals, 1962-2016, undated
Series 5: Publications and Writings, 1970-2013, undated
Series 6: Pride and Events, 1970-2011, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Mark Segal was born January 12, 1951 to Martin and Shirley Weinstein Segal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended public school in Philadelphia and upon graduating from high school made his way to New York, New York, at a time when the gay rights movement was poised to experience a watershed moment, the Stonewall Riots in June 1969.
As an activist, journalist, and publisher, Segal participated in and often organized a range of civil rights and social groups, protests, legal actions, and other activities in support of gay rights. He became well known for his very public acts of civil disobedience as a member of the Gay Raiders, termed "zaps," on the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite and the Mike Douglas Show in the early 1970s. Those appearances coupled with scheduled appearances on various national and local television and radio talk shows fulfilled one of the goals for Segal's activism, "to show the nation who gay people are: our sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers."
In 1976, Segal founded and currently publishes the influential newspaper, Philadelphia Gay News. With an increasing political profile, Segal used the influence and power of the gay press and his standing within political circles to further promote LGBTQ civil rights legislation. During the late 1970s and into the present day, these efforts met with criticism and sometimes outright acts of hate (newspapers boxes of the Philadelphia Gay News were often targets of anti-gay placards and vandalism). Segal and the many others working toward the goal of equal rights for LGBTQ persons were not deterred. Working within political circles and sometimes outside them, many landmark laws and court decisions were achieved in national, state, and local governments.
Separated Materials:
Related artifacts are in the Division of Medical Sciences (now Division of Medicine and Science).
Provenance:
This collection was donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian by Mark Segal, 2017.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Reproduction of some materials is restricted due to copyright or trademark.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2016 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
An unpublished memoir written by Norris documenting his life. The manuscript begins with Norris' birth in 1910, including his childhood memories of California. He also describes in detail his education at Ponoma College, Harvard University and Sorbonne in Paris, as well as his teaching position at the University of Hawaii. Themes of formative experiences, education, sexual orientation, family, and church life are dominant in his writing. He concludes with a summary of the early 1990s, after he moved to New York City. Some pages are annotated in pen by Norris.
Biographical / Historical:
Ben Norris (1910-2006) was a watercolorist and educator in Hawaii and New York. Norris studied privately with Frederic Taubes and Stanton Macdonald-Wright, and was educated at Harvard University and the Sorbonne in Paris. Norris also taught art history at the Univeristy of Hawaii.
Provenance:
Donated 2008 by Margaret Castrey, Norris' widow.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Sally K. Ride Papers, Acc. 2014-0025, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Sally K. Ride Papers, Acc. 2014-0025, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: reproduction fees may apply. All duplication requests must be reviewed and approved by Archives Center staff.
Collection Citation:
Leonard P. Hirsch Federal GLOBE Records, 1985-2015, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: reproduction fees may apply. All duplication requests must be reviewed and approved by Archives Center staff.
Collection Citation:
Leonard P. Hirsch Federal GLOBE Records, 1985-2015, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: reproduction fees may apply. All duplication requests must be reviewed and approved by Archives Center staff.
Collection Citation:
Leonard P. Hirsch Federal GLOBE Records, 1985-2015, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
