Finding aid to the Gerardo Velázquez papers, 1973-2009 Coll2017-014
Loni Shibuyama
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
© 2017
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
askone@usc.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Title: Gerardo Velázquez papers
creator:
Velázquez, Gerardo (Gerardo de Jesús), 1958-1992
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2017-014
Physical Description:
7.8 Linear Feet
9 boxes.
Date (inclusive): 1973-2009
Abstract: Writings, photographs, drawings, journals, videocassettes, chapbooks, personal papers and other materials (1973-2009) from
multimedia artist and musician Gerardo Velázquez, best known as a founding member of the Los Angeles punk band Nervous Gender.
The bulk of the collection is Velázquez's writings and creative projects that include zine-like pamphlets and poetry books;
elements for multimedia art installations; collages, drawings and photographic series; and publicity flyers and posters for
Nervous Gender. The collection also includes personal papers such as journals, notebooks, school records, legal records,
and materials documenting his HIV status.
Language of Material: The bulk of the collection materials are in English. Some materials are in Spanish.
Arrangement
This collection is divided into four series: (1) Writings, drawings and other creative works; (2) Personal papers; (3) Photographs;
and (4) Sound and video recordings.
Biographical / Historical
Gerardo de Jesús Velázquez was born in Mexico in 1958. At a young age, he and his family moved to Los Angeles, where he later
attended Stevenson Middle School in East Los Angeles. It was at Stevenson where he met his friend Michael Ochoa. The two
later met Edward Stapleton and Phranc, and in 1978, the four of them would form the earliest iteration of the electropunk/technopunk
band Nervous Gender. Nervous Gender recorded one album, Music From Hell, in 1981. Throughout the 1980s, when he was involved
with Nervous Gender, Velázquez attended California State University Los Angeles (CSULA). He continued developing his own
body of artwork that incorporated multiple disciplines and areas of study, including poetry, photography, digital art, video
art, performance art, music, physics, biology, religion, and sexuality. During this time, he also had jobs as a graphic designer
and computer technician. Velázquez died of AIDS-related complications in 1992.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The bulk of the collection, including three paintings, was donated by Tammy Fraser and Joseph Zinnato on December 22, 2014.
The remainder of the collection was donated by Edward Stapleton on August 1, 2015 and July 23, 2016.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder #, or item name] Gerardo Velázquez Papers, Coll2017-014, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries,
University of Southern California.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Loni Shibuyama, 2017.
Scope and Contents
The collection comprises writings, photographs, drawings, journals, videocassettes, chapbooks, personal papers and other materials
(1973-2009) from multimedia artist and musician Gerardo Velázquez, best known as a founding member of the Los Angeles punk
band Nervous Gender. The Writings, Drawings and Creative Works Series includes several self-published booklets of Velázquez's
poems and artwork; publicity materials documenting his exhibitions and performances; unpublished writings and notes for works
in progress; and materials created for Nervous Gender. The Personal Papers Series comprises journals, notebooks, correspondence,
autobiographical writings, employment documents, legal records, school records, health records and other papers collected
by Velázquez. The Photographs Series includes photographs created as elements for Velázquez's multimedia installations and
photo essays, as well as personal photographs documenting his family and friends. The Sound and Video Recordings include
the Nervous Gender album "Music from Hell," as well as video elements used for Velázquez's multimedia installations, including
the exhibit entitled "Violation."
Separated Materials
The following have been separated to the ONE Archives periodicals collection:
[AIDS Project Los Angeles] APLA Update (July/August 1990; March 1991; June 1991
[AIDS Project Los Angeles] Optimist (Fall 1990; Winter 1991; Summer 1991)
Being Alive newsletter (February 1991)
Vision, Monthly Bilingual Newsletter (May 1991)
The following have been separated to the ONE comic book collection:
Bloodstream Follies, 1989
Chicos Modernos, Vol. II, 1989
Separated Materials
The following paintings, all originally shown in his MFA thesis show
Piss n' Blood at Cal State Los Angeles (December 9–13, 1990), have been separated to the ONE Archives Art Collection:
Gerardo Velázquez,
The Neglected Martyr, 1990
Gerardo Velázquez,
The Fantastical Disseminator, 1990
Gerardo Velázquez,
Piss n' Blood, 1990
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Gay artists -- United States
Gay men's writings
Gay photographers
Hispanic American gays
Photographs -- California -- Los Angeles
Poems
Punk culture
Punk rock music
Nervous Gender (Musical group)
Writings, drawings, and other creative works
1973-1991
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Contents
This series comprises manuscripts, drawings, collages, publications, notes, mock-ups, flyers, and other materials, 1973-1991,
created by Gerardo Velázquez. Included are several self-published booklets of Velázquez's poems and artwork; publicity materials
documenting his exhibitions and performances; and unpublished writings and notes for works in progress. In particular, this
series includes flyers, mock-ups and posters created for Nervous Gender.
Box 1, Folder 1
Acid Hoose Video Light Show
undated
Box 1, Folder 2
Ampoterium (fiction) drafts
undated
Box 1, Folder 3
Annals of Selective Annihilation
1986
Box 1, Folder 4
Annals of Selective Annihilation original
1990
Box 1, Folder 6
Approximate Composition and Mode of Acquisition
undated
Box 1, Folder 7
[Approximate Composition] Materials and Mode of Acquisition
1986
Box 6, Folder 3
Collage and poems
1988-1989
Box 7, Item 2
Compact disc with Nervous Gender Music from Hell booklet
2009
Physical Description: 1 compact disc (CD-R).
Scope and Contents
Includes digital image files (TIF).
Box 1, Folder 12
Determination of an Unknown
1985
Box 1, Folder 13
"The Dominant Species" (fiction portfolio)
undated
Box 6, Folder 8
Drawings, computer-generated graphics and mock-ups
undated
Box 6, Folder 4
Drawings and collage
undated
Box 5, Folder 3
Drawings and collage (mounted)
undated
Box 6, Folder 2
Drawings and computer-generated graphics
undated
Box 6, Folder 9
Drawings and computer-generated graphics
undated
Box 6, Folder 5
Drawings and publicity postcards
undated
Box 1, Folder 14
Effects of Physical Exhaustion
1983
Box 1, Folder 15
Endorphins: Chemical Link Between Animal and Divine?
1981
Box 1, Folder 19
I.F. Magazine of Salicity and Intellect
undated
Box 1, Folder 20
IF Video Magazine Project Proposal
October 1989
Box 1, Folder 21
Images of Male-Male Anal Penetration in Pre-Columbian Art
1990
Box 5, Folder 2
Images of unidentified men and Nervous Gender image (matted)
undated
Box 2, Folder 2
Last Dominant Male
circa 1975-1980
Box 1, Folder 22
"The Last Dominant Strain"
undated
Box 1, Folder 27
Nervous Gender, More Libidinous...
1980-1985
Box 1, Folder 28
Nervous Gender
circa 1980-1989
Box 1, Folder 30
Nervous Gender flyers
1990
Box 5, Folder 4
Nervous Gender photographs
undated
Box 6, Folder 7
Nervous Gender posters and mock-ups
circa 1988
Box 1, Folder 32
One Earth, One People (Act I)
1983
Box 1, Folder 33
Order Above Brilliance: A Poetry Recitation
March 1983
Box 1, Folder 34
Order Above Brilliance (Nervous Gender)
1983
Box 2, Folder 3
1990 Notebook Project (Hughes)
1990
Box 1, Folder 35
Photocopies re: Chemistry
undated
Box 1, Folder 36
Piss N' Blood MFA Invite
undated
Box 2, Folder 5
Poems/label drafts
circa 1975-1980
Box 2, Folder 4
Poems and Academy of American Poets
1979
Box 1, Folder 42
Poetry portfolio
January 1984
Box 1, Folder 43
Report to My Doctors
1991
Box 1, Folder 44
Ritual Magic: An Occult Primer
undated
Box 1, Folder 45
Selections for a Poetry Reading in Long Beach
June 1982
Box 1, Folder 48
A Sexual Violation in 3 Acts
undated
Box 1, Folder 49
Student Union Art Gallery, San Francisco
February 1990
Box 1, Folder 50
Text and Concept for Tree Videos
1987
Box 1, Folder 51
Treatise on Religion and Biology
1985
Box 1, Folder 52
Tribunal of a Taming
1980
Box 1, Folder 53
Tribunal of a Taming (training) script
undated
Box 1, Folder 58-70
Unsorted writings and notes
circa 1975-1991
Box 2, Folder 6-9
Unsorted writings and notes
circa 1975-1985
Personal papers
1975-1991
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Contents
This series comprises journals, notebooks, correspondence, autobiographical writings, employment documents, legal records,
school records, health records and other papers collected by Velázquez, 1975-1991. Included are his journals documenting
his sexual activities; as well as his college course work, which was often integrated into his artwork and vice versa.
Box 2, Folder 12
Biographical Account
September 1988-February 1989
Box 2, Folder 13
Biographical Account
February-March 1989
Box 2, Folder 14
Biographical Account
April 1989
Box 2, Folder 15
Biographical info and resume
circa 1980-1990
Box 2, Folder 16
Cal Arts Acceptance
May 1989
Box 2, Folder 20
El Classificado resignation letter
1989
Box 1, Folder 10
The Cock-ring Caper by Thomas Livingston
undated
Box 2, Folder 21
Correspondence, teaching inquiry
1986
Box 2, Folder 22
Financial records
1986-1988
Box 2, Folder 23
Health, Beverly Hospital
1990-1991
Box 2, Folder 25
Health & Wellness Newsletter
1990
Box 2, Folder 27
Journal
June 1987 - undated
Box 2, Folder 35
Journal of Sexual Activity
October 1985
Box 2, Folder 36
Journal of Sexual Activity
1985-1986
Box 2, Folder 37
Legal correspondence (bankruptcy, citizenship)
1991
Box 1, Folder 24
Manuscripts by Rockabilly Steve
1990-1991
Box 8, Item 1
Notebook (brown)
circa 1975-1980
Box 2, Folder 41
El Pasar de una Manera
1990
Box 2, Folder 43
Southern California HIV Treatment Directory
1990
Box 1, Folder 57
WPM by R. Byron Smith
undated
Photographs
circa 1975-1991
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Contents
This series comprises photographic prints, negatives, and slides, circa 1975-1991. Included are photographs created as elements
for Velázquez's multimedia installations and photo essays, such as several series of photographs of "scanned," or interlaced,
video images. Also included are personal photographs documenting his family and friends. Note that some photographs are in
the Nervous Gender files in Series 1.
Box 3, Folder 1
Animals and flowers
undated
Box 3, Folder 3
City scenes and graffiti
undated
Box 3, Folder 4
City scenes, unidentified
undated
Box 8, Item 3
Computer-generated images; unidentified people negatives
undated
Box 3, Folder 5
Diagram of a HIV virus
undated
Box 5, Folder 1
Edward Stapleton
circa 1982
Box 3, Folder 7
Family photographs[?]
undated
Box 3, Folder 8
Interior of unidentified home; objects
undated
Box 5, Folder 7
Mexico[?]; nightscapes; unidentified children (mounted photographs)
undated
Box 3, Folder 9
Miscellaneous
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes photographs of artwork, unidentified people, and a video screen with the title "Genetics Squad Alert."
Box 4, Folder 3-5
Miscellaneous slides
circa 1975-1991
Scope and Contents
Includes photographs of unidentified people, office interiors, objects, building exteriors, video scans, Nervous Gender flyers,
travel destinations, nightscapes, and other images.
Box 3, Folder 15
"Neighborhood" slides
undated
Box 3, Folder 16
Nervous Gender flyers; propoganda posters; travel
undated
Box 3, Folder 10
Objects
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes photographs of a Nervous Gender graphic design (matted).
Box 3, Folder 11
Objects (mounted)
undated
Box 3, Folder 13
Objects and unidentified people contact sheets and negatives (black and white)
undated
Box 3, Folder 14
Objects and unidentified people negatives (color)
undated
Box 4, Folder 1
Objects and unidentified people prints (black and white, 8 x 10 in.)
undated
Box 3, Folder 18
Paint brushes and other objects
undated
Box 4, Folder 6
Trip to Germany and Auschwitz
undated
Box 4, Folder 7
Unidentified children
undated
Box 4, Folder 8
Unidentified man in phone booth
undated
Box 3, Folder 12
Unidentified people (mounted)
undated
Box 4, Folder 9
Unidentified woman
undated
Box 3, Folder 6
Video scan images (with yellow frames) and artwork exhibition [untitled]
undated
Box 9, Item 1-25
Video scan images in yellow frames
undated
Box 4, Folder 10-16
Video screen (black and white)
undated
Box 5, Folder 5
Video screen, black and white prints (matted)
undated
Box 5, Folder 6
Video screen printouts (matted)
undated
Box 4, Folder 17
Violation exhibition
undated
Sound and video recordings
1982-2009
Arrangement
Sound recordings are at the beginning, followed by videocassettes. The items are arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Contents
This series comprises VHS videocassettes, 1 open reel audiotape and 1 compact disc (CD). The sound recordings include the
Nervous Gender album "Music from Hell," as well as other Nervous Gender songs. The video recordings include elements used
for Velázquez's multimedia installations, including the exhibit entitled "Violation."
Box 7, Item 3
Gobshite; Push, Push, Push; Scum of the Earth; Cleaning and Looking; at Brave Dog
February 10, 1982
Physical Description: 1 open reel audiotape (1/4 in).
Box VHS, Item VV3729
Abduction; Voice of Angels poems with video
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3730
Audio [untitled video art]
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3731
Documentary; effect of AIDS
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3732
Miracle of Life (NOVA); Ellen in tape bondage
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3733
Music [Violation]
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3734
Probe, background video
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3735
Propaganda Bomb
1990
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3736
Propaganda Bomb #2
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3737
Tape II
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3738
Tape III; 3 slow scan portraits [Nervous Gender production]
1984
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3739
Video portfolio
1989
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3740
Violation, looped
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3741
Violation; PC paint and Gwen; [masturbation] and nuclear bomb
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3742
Week I, original
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3743
Week II, original
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
Box VHS, Item VV3744
Week III, original
undated
Physical Description: 1 videocassette (VHS).
