Volume_2 launches {B/qKC} as its own standing digital archive and begins by telling the story of Soakie’s: a sandwich shop in Downtown Kansas City that, through an unlikely partnership between the Italian mob and two Black gay men, would become a booming Black gay nightclub from 1993 – 2004.
This volume began with The Archive Launch Party on March 1st, 2024, where The Volume_2 Exhibit was previewed before being sent out to five (5) low barrier-to-entry locations across Kansas City.
The launch of {B/qKC} as its own archive also meant new forays of work, including installs at art gallery, Charlotte Street, educational essays, fellowship opportunities and more.
Listen to the “{B/qKC}: Volume_2” playlist while you scroll >
Launching The Archive
Remembering Soakie’s
Founded by Italian mobster Salvatore A. “Soakie” Rinaldo in 1962, Soakie’s was an Italian-sandwich shop turned Black gay bar in Downtown Kansas City.
The Collections
{B/qKC} functions on a co-operative licensing model developed by Montalvo. Dubbed shareholders, community members loan their photos, documents and ephemera to be digitized by Montalvo in exchange for being able to use them for educational purposes. This all happens through a partial licensing agreement, meaning shareholders get to keep their original material and intellectual property over them (notably different from the ways archives require transfer of copyright and ownership).
Moreover, Montalvo was able to compensate the inaugural shareholders to the archive in setting precedence for reparative efforts and acknowledging the strife Black queer Kansas Citians have gone through to simply survive. Each shareholders was paid a stipend of $666.67, to add up to a total of $2,000. The stipends are made possible due to {B/qKC}’s growing list of grantors and sponsors, which include Stories For All (a digital humanities project between The University of Kansas and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation), international grantor Diaspora Solidarities Lab, and local Black queer health organization BlaqOut. Learn more here >
{B/qKC}: Volume_2 launched with three inaugural collections at The Archive Launch Party.
gary_ carrington_ collection
Gary Carrington (he/him/his) is referred to as a “pillar” in Kansas City’s queer pageant/event promotions scene. Specifically credited with founding a plethora of local pageant competitions, Gary has served several roles within KC’s Black queer community––including the management of Soakie’s: Kansas City’s former Black gay bar in Downtown Kansas City. The Gary Carrington Collection, an inaugural collection donated to {B/qKC}, consists of various photos from Gary’s time at Soakie’s, as well as clippings from KC Exposures.
starla_
carr_
collection
Starla Carr (she/her/hers) has been a pivotal force in developing Kansas City’s drag king circuit over the past 30 years. Known under the performing name “MT,” Starla has been involved in Kansas City’s Black queer scene as a seamstress, choreographer, author and confidant. The Starla Carr Collection, an inaugural collection donated to {B/qKC}, consists of various photos from Carr’s time at Soakie’s in the early 2000s––particularly of KC’s Black lesbian community.
tisha_
taylor_
collection
Tisha Taylor (she/her/hers) has made a huge impact on the local Black LGBTQ+ scene, particularly founding Kansas City’s annual Black Pride in 1999 and winning Miss Gay Kansas City America in 1996. Tisha was also instrumental in managing Soakie’s: Kansas City’s former Black gay bar in Downtown Kansas City. The Tisha Taylor Collection, an inaugural collection donated to {B/qKC}, consists of various photos from Taylor’s time at Soakie’s and Kansas City’s Black Pride in 1999.
The Volume_2 Exhibit
Waterbird Coffee, Astringent Press, PH Coffee, Café Corazón, BLK + BRWN.
April 1–April 30, 2024
Solo Exhibition
This multi-location exhibition is part of the second volume of {B/qKC}: launching itself as a standing, Black queer archive and beginning by telling the story of Soakie’s, a former Black gay bar in Downtown Kansas City from 1993 – 2004. Audiences found the inaugural collections of {B/qKC} displayed across three locations from Montalvo’s groundbreaking altar exhibits in 2023–with new additions of supplemental, grounding information at Waterbird Coffee, and a large-scale, print installation at Astringent Press.
Montalvo challenged audiences to engage with Black queer past by traversing our present day spaces–ultimately leading audiences to contend with one question once finished, “what will, then, be our future?” But above all, this exhibition was intentionally placed outside of the institution (universities, galleries, museums) in creating low- barrier-to-entry ways to engage with history, and acknowledging {B/qKC}’s roots in abolitionist praxis.
Audiences were encouraged to slowly traverse this experience over the course of April 2024.
{B/qKC} x Oddities Prints
Based on the inaugural collections donated to ˆ, these prints tell the story of pivotal moments in Kansas City’s Black queer history from the 1990’s.
{B/qKC}: The Archive Launch Party
Read more about the launch of {B/qKC} on March 1, 2024, where The Volume_2 Exhibit was previewed before heading out into the world.