Chicago Protest Collection at the Newberry Library + H. Melt
Images: (Left) Image: A stack of multicolored poster board signs is shown. A sign that reads “Archive or Recycle Signs Here” stands above the stack. One sign is the map of the world pasted onto a woven basket. Two signs with sticks attached can be seen to the right. Photo by William Camargo. (Right) H. Melt holds open a blue, pink, and white banner, the transgender pride flag, that says “There are trans people here” in purple letters in their apartment. Their bed, a bookshelf, and several other printed banners and signs can be seen in the background. Photo by Ally Almore.
“Sometimes the living archives, our bodies, are the most meaningful collections we can access. Sometimes what we’re really searching for in the archives is community.”
ARCHIVE:
Chicago Protest Collection at the Newberry Library
Building on a strong history of documenting social and political activism in Chicago and the Midwest, the Newberry Library’s Chicago Protest Collection collects an enduring record of the many individual expressions of people participating in public demonstrations in Chicago, or Chicagoans participating in such events elsewhere.
READ MORE: Interview with Catherine Grandgeorge of The Newberry Library’s Chicago Protest Collection
ARTIST:
H. Melt
H. Melt is a poet, artist, and educator whose work celebrates trans people, history, and culture. They are the author of The Plural, The Blurring, and editor of Subject to Change: Trans Poetry & Conversation. H. Melt was an artist in residence at the Newberry Library, researching the Chicago Protest Collection. They’ve attended the Lambda Literary Writers Retreat and the Tin House Writers Workshop. Their latest collection, There Are Trans People Here, includes a study guide for trans youth, educators, and artists, available for free online through their publisher Haymarket Books.
READ MORE: Interview with H. Melt