Kathleen Hanna Papers
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Abstract
Kathleen Hanna was an early instigator of the Riot Grrrl Movement, performing in bands such as Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. The Kathleen Hanna Papers consists of flyers, posters, zines and zine masters, notebooks, ephemera, magazines, photographs, media, newspaper clippings, theses and other academic writing, and legal and financial records. The collection documents Hanna's artistic production, participation in the Riot Grrrl movement, curatorial work, and musical career.
Biographical Note
Kathleen Hanna was an early instigator of the Riot Grrrl movement in the early 1990's in both Olympia, Washington and Washington, DC. Along with Allison Wolfe she organized the first Riot Grrrl meeting, collaborated on several early Riot Grrrl zines, and was a major force behind the first Riot Grrrl Convention.
From 1990-1997 she was a member of the most widely recognized "Riot Grrrl Band", Bikini Kill. She co-authored the band's zines, including their 1992 Bikini Kill #2 which used the phrase "Girl Power" for the first time. Bikini Kill toured the states extensively and also played shows in Europe, Japan and Australia.
Her second large scale feminist DIY project was the electronic band Le Tigre which was active from 1999-2006. This band used activism as a jumping-off point for their visually stimulating live shows and their three full-length albums. Le Tigre played everywhere, from Massachussetts to St. Petersburg.
Hanna currently lives in NYC and is active as a musician and lecturer.
Arrangement
Series List:
- Series I: Filing Cabinet
- Series II: Photo Binders
- Series III: Media
- Series IV: Computer Disks
- Series V. 2015 Accretion
- OVERSIZE SERIES I
All efforts were made to preserve the original arrangement of the collection, with the exception of oversize materials and zine flats which are housed separately.
Scope and Contents
The Kathleen Hanna Papers consist of materials created and collected by Hanna documenting her artistic production and participation in the Riot Grrrl movement, as well as her broader musical career and curatorial endeavors. Materials include flyers, posters, zines and zine masters, notebooks, ephemera, magazines, photographs, audio and video recordings of live performances and studio recordings, newspaper and magazine clippings, theses and other academic writings, and legal and financial records.
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open to researchers.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); Kathleen Hanna Papers; MSS 271; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated to NYU Libraries in 2010. An accretion to the collection was received in 2015; the accession number associated with this gift is 2016.045. A further accretion was received in August 2022; the accession number associated with this gift is 2023.018.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Access copies for some materials are available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Please contact fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection was first processed in 2010. It was reprocessed in March 2012 to address preservation concerns. Materials were redistributed among more folders, and selected items were flattened or rehoused in Mylar. At this time, the collection was renumbered and box and folder numbers were changed. To see the original box and folder numbers, please ask a Fales archivist for a copy of the original finding aid, stored in our administrative files. In 2016 an accretion received in 2015 was added to the collection as a new series (2015 Accretion) in keeping with previous arrangement and description decisions.
In August 2017, one item was prepared to be moved to offsite art storage in September 2017. In March 2023, an accretion of materials documenting the Julie Ruin was rehoused in archival boxes and folders, and integrated into the collection's existing arrangement structure. In May 2024, an oversize felt banner was rehoused and moved to flat file storage by conservators.
