The Art of Preservation: How the San Diego History Center Champions Community Voices

By Patric Stillman

Once again over Pride at the San Diego History Center, visitors were met with a burst of color and affirmation in the paintings of local artist RD Riccoboni. His art, alive with rich rainbow tones and confident brushstrokes, captures moments of community pride. Each piece transforming history into living narratives.

It is fitting that these works are part of the San Diego History Center’s permanent collection. Founded nearly 100 years ago in 1928, the Center is a Smithsonian Affiliate and one of the region’s largest cultural heritage institutions. From its home in Casa de Balboa, it preserves more than 45 million documents, 2.5 million photographs, and a vast collection of art and artifacts. “Our history stretches from the time of the Kumeyaay, the First Peoples of the region who have been here since time immemorial, through 1769 with the establishment of Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the Mexican period, and 1850 statehood,” said Bill Lawrence, Executive Director of the San Diego History Center. “At one point, San Diego County extended all the way to the Colorado River.”

The mission is both simple and ambitious: to preserve, reveal, and promote the history of the San Diego region so that everyone can see themselves reflected in it. This includes ensuring that LGBTQ+ history stands alongside the many other narratives that shape the region.

The History Center is actively building its LGBTQ+ collection. Riccoboni’s paintings join early materials connected to Villa Montezuma, the Queen Anne-style mansion built by couple Jesse Shepard and Lawrence Tonner in the 1880s, and artifacts linked to elected officials such as Chris Kehoe and Toni Atkins. The holdings also include community-made banners, protest signs, photographs of Pride marches, and personal mementos that might otherwise have been lost to time. “We are looking for objects and artifacts that tell a powerful story,” Lawrence said. “There are holes in our collection, and we are actively seeking elements that help fill those gaps.”

This collecting is not just about objects. It is about safeguarding identity. Lawrence urges community members to think before discarding materials that may hold historical significance. “Before you automatically go to the dumpster, make sure you are calling Lambda Archives of San Diego or the San Diego History Center,” he said. “Ask yourself the questions: What is my legacy, and how does my legacy fit into the greater community legacy?”

He explained that the History Center offers a simple process for donating items. People can contact the collections staff, describe the item, and share the story behind it. “Sometimes it is a photograph, sometimes it is a program from an event, and sometimes it is something that seems small but actually represents a huge chapter in the community’s history,” Lawrence said. “Those are the kinds of things that bring exhibitions to life.” The Center also collaborates with other local repositories, including San Diego State University and UC San Diego Special Collections, to ensure that regional history is preserved in many places.

The San Diego History Center’s philosophy is that history is not static. It is a living, evolving record shaped by those who choose to share their stories. By preserving LGBTQ+ narratives and placing them alongside the city’s broader history, the Center not only honors the past but also strengthens the visibility of the community today. Lawrence believes that integrating these stories into the city’s historical record changes the way people understand San Diego itself. “It is about making sure the LGBTQ+ and other communities are seen as part of the greater community,” he said. “That is when you really start to see understanding and empathy grow.”

That commitment came into sharp focus in 2018 when the Center debuted LGBTQ+ San Diego: Stories of Struggles & Triumphs. Co-created with Lambda Archives of San Diego and curated by Dr. Lillian Faderman, the exhibition was the first major Balboa Park show dedicated to the LGBTQ+ experience. It chronicled decades of activism, resilience, and joy, from the earliest days of organizing to present-day celebrations of equality. Photographs, personal artifacts, and oral histories brought to life the stories of individuals who helped shape the community.

The opening reception, filled with hundreds of attendees and a performance by the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, became an unforgettable moment of visibility and connection. “The air was electric,” Lawrence recalled. “I still get choked up every time I think about just the energy that was in that room. It carried throughout the entire exhibition.” The impact extended far beyond that day. “It was like a rock dropped into a pond,” Lawrence said. “The ripples of that exhibition have continued. People reference it, they discover it online, they share its stories.”

While the gallery run eventually ended, the exhibition did not fade away. It was transformed into a digital archive and later into a traveling pop-up display. “While it may have closed, it continues to live on,” Lawrence explained. “There is so much good content that we created a pop-up exhibit, and that is what people have been seeing over the last several years.”

In addition to returning to the Center twice since the original exhibition, the pop-up has become a way to meet people where they are. It has been created to be replicated in libraries, nonprofits, bank lobbies, schools, and community centers. “Because it is portable, it can go anywhere,” Lawrence said. “We would love to partner with other organizations that could host it, not just around Pride, but throughout the entire year.” He emphasized that bringing the exhibit into everyday spaces means more people, especially those who might never visit Balboa Park, can engage with the stories. “Getting it out and getting the history into the community is what is most important,” he said.

Looking ahead, the Center’s calendar continues to reflect its commitment to diverse storytelling. In September, it will open Lost Neighborhoods, an exhibition created in partnership with the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art. “It is about neighborhoods in San Diego that lost their community history because of segregation, restrictive covenants, and freeway construction,” Lawrence said. “It is going to be incredibly powerful and will make people think about how decisions in the past shaped the city we see today.”

Looking into the future, plans are underway for creating a dedicated space to integrate LGBTQ+ history into an expanded visitor experience in Balboa Park. “The work that we have done with the LGBTQ+ community, with Lambda Archives, with Lillian Faderman, will actually reappear here and be part of a new permanent exhibit,” Lawrence confirmed. “The goal is to make the history we have collected not just available, but embedded in the very fabric of the Center’s storytelling.”

In the meantime, the invitation is open for everyone to be part of the story. The San Diego History Center (1649 El Prado in Balboa Park) welcomes visitors Wednesday through Sunday 10 AM – 5 PM to explore its exhibitions and archives. A suggested donation of $10 helps support the work, yet guests are encouraged to contribute what they can and what they feel the experience is worth. The pop-up exhibit is available for hosting, the archive is open to new contributions, and partnerships are always welcome. “We cannot do this without the community,” Lawrence said. “We need people to share their stories, their photographs, their art, so that future generations will understand where we have been and where we are going.”

Through art, archives, and collaboration, the San Diego History Center (sandiegohistory.org) continues to lift the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community, proving that everyone’s story matters and that every story has a place in San Diego’s history.