Visit Legacy Maltwood Gallery in the UVic library for a glance into queer and Trans+ life and activism
Photo by Hailey Chutter.
“Everything is Special,” a new exhibition at the Legacy Maltwood Gallery on McPherson Library’s lower level, displays rare, one-of-a-kind editions and special queer and Trans+ materials that range from fine art to unpublished documents.
UVic’s Chair in Transgender Studies is the only position of its kind in the world, and coincidentally, UVic is home to the world’s largest Trans+ archives. This unique dynamic makes UVic a hub for resources and education for queer and Trans+ histories.
“Everything Is Special” displays a blend of local and international queer and Trans+ items. Featured in the exhibition are copies of the Queeries, a past UVic student newspaper for 2SLGBTQIA+ readers.
Other interesting elements include an Andy Warhol index book and a painting of Harvey Bernard Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. A striking stained glass window shines in the middle of the space, recovered from the historic Everywoman’s Books –– a non-profit feminist bookstore established in Victoria in 1975.
To learn more about “Everything is Special,” the Martlet spoke with Michael Radmacher, Transgender Archives Metadata Librarian at UVic Libraries and co-curator of the exhibition about what it brings to the public eye.
“There is a long history, since time immemorial, of gender-diverse folks being in existence. So that’s in part what it’s showing — the breadth and the depth of it all.”
Radmacher worked with Heather Dean, Christine Walde, Lara Wilson, and Caroline Riedel from the UVic Legacy Art Gallery, UVic Special Collections, and University Archives to curate the exhibition.
Due to the variety of sources, Radmacher highlighted how the materials have been put “into relationship” in ways that “typically, you wouldn’t see.” The art, documents and materials themselves are rare, and the collective effort from the curation team to “queer [the] rigid, curatorial methodologies” is distinct from the traditions that commonly govern the curation of materials.
“Everything Is Special” is free for the public, and will run from June 2, 2025 to Jan. 11, 2026, during regular McPherson Library hours. The exhibition is part of the Victoria Arts Council Queer Island Festival of the Arts, which over two dozen organizations are participating in this Pride Month.
The involved organizations are hosting all kinds of events, from queer art installations and exhibitions, drag performances, and film screenings, to poetry readings, and 2SLGBTQIA+ pottery date nights.
On June 28, there will be a panel discussion led by Kegan McFadden at Intrepid Theatre, to review the events of the month and reflect on the festival as a whole.
Radmacher explained that these organizations and artists create a “unified force” that sends a clear message: “we have critical mass. We have volume.”
