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Arleen Olshan has been involved with LGBTQ arts and activism in Philadelphia for more than 60 years. She was a founding member of the then-Gay Community Center of Philadelphia in 1973, now the William Way Center, and for 10 years she was the co-owner of Giovanni’s Room, America’s oldest gay bookstore. She later co-founded Mt. Airy Art Garage.
Now 80 years old, she has seen many friends and colleagues pass away.
“I attended a lot of memorials. I also was very active in the community. So when somebody was written up, I wanted to save the paper on them, like in ‘Au Courant’ and different news media,” Olshan said, referring to the now-defunct Philadelphia gay newspaper that ran from 1982 to 2000.
While flipping through a binder overstuffed with clippings, photos and memorial pamphlets, Olshan explained she wants to draw or paint a portrait of everyone inside.
“Once I started this project, I knew that I had to put them all together so I could see what was possible,” she said. “There are hundreds of people.”