Radical Potential: The Case for Including Queer Fandom in Museums

Authors:

• Devon Leigh, Master of Arts in Museology
• Chair: Lane Eagles
• Sasha Su-Ling Welland
• Regina Yung Lee

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Abstract:

This study investigates how museums in the United States could be stewards of queer fanart and queer fandom histories. It involved semi-structured interviews that used a phenomenological approach guided by research questions focused on trust between queer fans and museums and the educational potential of the inclusion of fanworks in museums. There were seven interviews and all participants were queer, involved in fandom, and interested in museums. Each conversation addressed five to eight questions from the research instrument sent to interviewees ahead of time. Results indicate that, although queer fans view museums with a critical eye and have many concerns about museums’ potential acquisition and display of fan-created materials and accounts of fandom history, they have many of the same priorities as museum professionals—pronounced among them being resistance to the rise of fascism—and are favorable to the idea of museums helping preserve fanart and fan history in some capacity.