Upcoming Events

The staff of the Maryland State Archives presents educational programs to the community to share information about our collections. We invite you to participate in our upcoming events or to view recordings of our past programs. If you have a suggestion for a program topic or search tip you would like to see here in the future, please email your recommendation to msa.helpdesk@maryland.gov. Thank you for your support.

Past Events

View recordings of past lectures, seminars, tours and workshops, as well as helpful training videos on how to use various records in our collections in our free online Presentation Library.

Upcoming Events


Black and white photograph of a male dancer and a female dancer from the roaring 20s.

April Lunch and Learn
The Art and History of Drag


Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 1:00 pm
Presented by Dr. Richard Bell
Online Event

From William Dorsey Swann, the first self-described "Queen of Drag," to the legacy of John Waters and Divine, Maryland has been home to numerous figures and places significant to the history of drag. Join librarian Ash Baker to travel through time to learn how this gender-bending form of entertainment developed over the past 100+ years, from the 1920s Pansy Craze to the rise of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Ash Baker (they/them) is an Instructor & Research Specialist at Howard County Library System, where they enjoy connecting emerging adults and the LGBTQ+ community with public library services and materials. Outside their library work, they are a genderfluid drag performer, emcee, and event producer, organizing drag shows, makeup workshops, educational presentations, and more across the DMV. No matter in which capacity they work, they're proud to lead with trans joy and a message that the queer lives of the present are the queer history of the future.



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