José Artifacts
“I own a Jose Sarria artifact”
Our beloved Mama Jose, was a prolific collector of all things he enjoyed and amassed a great deal of GLBT history along the way in the form of photographs, costumes, news articles, etc. Over the course of his life, thousands of items were purchased, many items were gifted to him and innumerable photographs/videos of him exist. Prior to his passing, he arranged for many to be donated to museums, archives and some were gifts to friends. Upon his passing many items were sold to liquidate his estate, raising funds to complete the film of his life, which was his dying wish.
The Jose Sarria Foundation has many items that were donated to us for safekeeping, but we know there are thousands more out there in private collections. We are first seeking to catalog these items to document how they played into Jose’s storied life and determine who owns them. We also seek to photograph them and to make the photos of the items available on our website so everyone can see them and learn of the history behind them.
Additionally, we seek to periodically exhibit these artifacts and will work with museums to display them for special events, regardless of ownership. We realize some are willing to allow the items be displayed with credit to an estate or loved one to whom they were once given by Jose himself. Nearly all want the public to know about the incredible story of Jose’s life and wonderful deeds which can truly be told through these items.
Owners of Jose artifacts
The Jose Sarria Foundation can now facilitate different artifact exibition requests. We have a couple of options by which private owners of Jose’s artifacts may benefit, while helping to preserve his legacy.
You can now choose what best suits your objective:
- Tax deductible donation to the Foundation of the item with permanent display credit.
- Loan of the item to the Foundation for exhibition, with display credit.
Please email us any digital photographs of Jose you may have along with the story of the photo, who, what, when etc. If you have an item that belonged to Jose, please email us to at least add the item to the catalog of artifacts in private hands or discuss other options. EMAIL

I WANT TO SEE JOSE ARTIFACTS
Jose Sarria artifacts are in the hands of several institutions including the GLBT Historical Society of San Francisco, the Oakland Museum of California, many others held by private owners given to them by Jose and the Jose Sarria Archives here in Spokane, WA. The Jose Sarria Archives are occasionally displayed both publicly and privately. One place in Spokane to see them, is at Atomic Threads, during events that honor Mama Jose. Other displays will be announced on our Facebook page and our blog here.
Atomic Threads is located at 1925 N Monroe St suite A, Spokane, WA 99205. If you would like to know more, please contact us with your questions!