VELVET FOUNDATION

 

PO Box 71094
Washington, DC 20024-1094
202.661.8191
Info@velvetfoundation.org

 

The purpose of the Velvet Foundation is to collect, preserve, and interpret artifacts and other tangible and intangible objects pertaining to, or associated with, the history and culture in the United States of America of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other persons of non-traditional sexual orientation or gender identity ("LGBT Experience") and to establish, support, operate, and promote a national museum chronicling the LGBT Experience.

 

Mission Statement

 

The museum of American LGBT history and culture will be a forum for the identification, study, and dissemination of the social, historical, and cultural contributions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community—and its relation within the larger society—through collections, exhibitions, research, publications, and other public programs.

 

Vision Statement

 

The museum of American LGBT history and culture will be dedicated to improving the quality and well-being of individual lives and communities through:

 

Reference. Creating a repository for research, understanding, and connection to the richness of LGBT material culture.

Cultural Unification. Making available to the supporting community a central location to pursue communal goals and foster a shared identity.

Public Service. Educating the public about the vastly rich and fascinating history of LGBT people.

Social Responsibility. Enhancing the well-being of all human communities by allowing individuals and groups to confront, debate, and exchange ideas in a secure public forum.

 

Fundraising and Development

 

The Velvet Foundation is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This will allow the Foundation to direct its fund-raising efforts through four sources: individuals, corporations, grants, and planned giving.

Project Summary

 

Museums collect and interpret cultural artifacts and present, challenge, and help to explain the world around us. As educational venues, museums convey authenticity because they are physical treasure chests of history and culture. Museums also safeguard artifacts for current and future generations so that they can come face to face with their past and discover its relevance to their present and future. The importance of museums for society and the groups within it cannot be overestimated. People seek knowledge, explanation, and visibility—they want to see themselves represented and their lives and struggles validated for others to witness, learn, and understand. Museums are spaces where people learn singly and together, as families and as impromptu community. They provide a venue for enlightenment and discussion, argumentation and learning. They engage us and at times enrage us. As entertainment venues they educate and inform; as public venues they represent private lives and experiences.

 

There are an increasing number of local and national museums that highlight the unique history and culture of ethnic and social groups that have not been well represented by mainstream museums. For instance, the National Museum of the American Indian opened to the public in 2004, the site for the National Museum of African American History and Culture has been selected, and discussions are underway for a Museum of the American Latino. Museums of many nationalities, communities, and movements have been developed over the last quarter-century. However, one group that has not had the opportunity to share its story with a national audience and to preserve its material culture for future generations has been ours. That is why we seek to create a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) museum in Washington, DC.

 

A museum of American LGBT history and culture will offer a safe, welcoming place—safe to discuss and present LGBT issues and welcoming to ask and learn about them. It will provide exhibitions and public programming that will both challenge and enhance the visitor’s understanding of the LGBT experience in America. It will also become a hub for research and a national repository of artifacts, and it will work with other organizations and museums to promote collaboration and synergies over space and time.

 

Why a LGBT museum in Washington, DC?

 

The stories that are fundamental to the American LGBT experience—of the struggles for basic human rights, equality, and acceptance into society—need to be told and re-explored with every generation, every community, and every change of government. As a center of national and international activity, Washington, DC is a location where the LGBT movement can most effectively be channeled and presented. It will be a place where our understanding of the past can be enhanced and engaged, and our aspiration for the future discussed and envisaged.

 

Why call this the Velvet Foundation?

 

Velvet is a particularly apt metaphor for a museum of LGBT history and culture, as it has been used to describe periods in both lesbian and gay history. The look of velvet shifts with light and direction; the feel is one of comfort. It is known both for its strength and its magnificence. It is real. Velvet is woven for individuals who want to make a statement and who want warmth, utility, and beauty in their lives. The Velvet Foundation will ensure that the American LGBT museum of history & culture is woven with these concepts. There are many excellent Web sites about LGBT history and culture, but—like touching velvet—sensory experience is important for understanding reality and creating a personal connection. Deeper understanding of LGBT history and culture comes from personal and social interaction with the objects of that history and culture. It comes from primary reality. Humans will continue to interact in a digital world—an invaluable component of modern society—yet the use of digital media can only enhance the human experience, never replace it. Therefore, the Velvet Foundation will strive for both a Web site and a physical museum, each serving an important role. A Web site overcomes time, distance, and space constraints to provide a depth of material accessible anywhere in the world. The museum will provide the personal and social interaction with objects and people that is essential to understanding and embracing the human experience.

 

Why is it important to have a museum of American LGBT history and culture?

 

LGBT people share a rich history with a unique perspective, deeply affected by the quest for acceptance and coexistence. In the nation’s capital, where people come to experience its diverse museum resources, not a single museum speaks directly to LGBT issues, and few even display LGBT-themed exhibits. Since intolerance is fed by a lack of knowledge, a museum of the LGBT community will allow for an increase in understanding of LGBT history and culture, which can lead to greater social acceptance. A museum of American LGBT history and culture will be an environment that can evoke positive personal and social experiences. As a result, future generations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people—and society at large—will be in a position to acquire what many have been denied: an opportunity to understand and connect with the past in order to help advance a constructive development of the self and the community.

Timothy S. Scofield
Founder & CEO
Velvet Foundation

 

James Weaver

 

Richard Molinaroli

 

Joseph Kapp

Victor Basile

Former Executive Director

Human Rights Campaign

 

Lynne Brown

Publisher

Washington Blade

 

Jeffrey P. Buchheit

Director

Baltimore Heritage Area

 

Keith Clark

Capital Campaign Director

Stonewall Library & Archives

 

John Coppola

Museum Consultant

 

Joan Garry
Former Executive Director
GLAAD

 

David A. Gerstner, Ph. D.
Associate Professor of Cinema Studies & Doctoral Faculty
CUNY Graduate Center & College of Staten Island

 

Mitchell Gold

Co-founder and Chair-man

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

 

Leonard Hirsh

Senior Policy Adviser

Smithsonian Institution

 

John P. Isa
Associate
Paul Hastings

 

Kevin Jennings

Founder/Executive Director

GLSEN

 

Dr. William Kapfer

Vice President/Publisher

Genre Magazine

 

Joseph Kapp

Financial Planner

Lincoln Financial Advisors

 

Jonathan Ned Katz

Historian

 

Eileen Kessler

President

OmniStudio, Inc.

 

Edward Phillips

Director, Exhibitions

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

 

Robert Vinci

Director of Exhibitions

Museum of American Finance

 

Rev. Mel White

President

Soulforce

 

Donna Red Wing

Senior Adviser

The Interfaith Alliance

 

Cathy Renna