Collage

This collaged panel once hung in Wellington’s Evergreen Coffee Lounge in Vivian Street. 

It is part of a collection of panels and other items that relate to the life of Chrissy Witoko, the  Evergreen Coffee Lounge, and the communities of people who congregated in the cafés and night clubs around Cuba and Vivian streets between about 1970 – 2002.

Each panel includes a combination of photographs featuring people that Chrissy associated with, news or magazine clippings, business cards and other ephemera.

This collage makes references to several Wellington entertainment and hospitality businesses which had a queer connection, either through the owners, staff or patrons. These include Goudy's restaurant and bar, La Strada bar, Brasserie Flipp, Casper's bar and cafe, Hotel St George, Toledo bar, Pierre's, Sanctuary, the Evergreen Coffee Lounge and Espressoholic. It also refers to gay liberation publication Express newspaper, the Out empire (gay saunas, nightclubs, magazine), businesses supporting the NZ Aids Foundation, and various Wellington theatres.

Some of the people featured in this panel are:
Homosexual law reform campaigner, MP and former mayor of Wellington Fran Wilde, Geoff, Malcolm Vaughan, Carmen Rupe, Warren Lindberg (was head of NZ Aids Foundation and later the Human Rights Commission), De za Star (Kneel Halt or Neil Graham), Johnny Croskery, Frank Lund, Chrissy Witoko, Mika (Neil Gudsell), Stella Niel and Owen Alison (photographer).

Te Papa is working in collaboration with LGBTI communities and individuals to discover the histories represented in the panels. If you have any information you would like to share in relation to this panel please contact a history curator at Te Papa on +64 (0)4 381 7000 or email Evergreen@tepapa.govt.nz