Our Collections
At the heart of our archive lies a treasure trove of over 15,000 items and 250 hours of recorded interviews, spanning two centuries of Kentucky's LGBTQ history. From individuals to events, and from institutions to activism, our collections reflect the rich diversity of Kentucky's LGBTQ community, serving as a vital resource for activists, scholars, artists, and museums alike.
The collections of the Faulkner Morgan Archive are unique in two ways.
We only collect material with a direct relationship to Kentucky's LGBTQ community and LGBTQ Kentuckians.
We have developed an oral-history-based methodology of collecting, wherein donors are recorded describing their collection and the stories their collection holds. In effect, artifacts become tied to the oral histories of their donors, creating a rich resource for activists, scholars, artists, and museums.
Our collections represent numerous individuals, events, and institutions from across Kentucky, and help emphasize Kentucky's important role within the broader national narrative of LGBTQ history.
Featured Collections
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Featured Collections •
All Collections
Charles WIlliams
Charles Williams (1942-1998) was born in Blue Diamond, Kentucky, a place he described as a “little old country hick town in coal mining territory, eight miles from Hazard, Kentucky, back up in the hollow where the blacks lived.” As a child, Williams taught himself to draw by copying comic book figures like Superman, Dick Tracy, and Captain Marvel but never finished high school.
Williams worked avidly on paintings, drawings, assemblages, sculptures, and furniture until his untimely death in 1998, the result of AIDS-related complications and starvation. A few months later, an organization called Moveable Feast Lexington was founded in his honor and tasked itself with providing hot meals to people living with HIV/AIDS in the region. In the past 14 years, Williams has been exhibited at Institute 193, UK Art Museum, and the Atlanta Contemporary.
Interested in USING Our Collections?
Dive into Kentucky's rich LGBTQ history with access to over 15,000 items and 250 hours of oral history. Whether you're a researcher, artist, activist, or simply curious, our archives are open to all.