start of artifact paper... (2/16/09)

There are not many objects that the Ball State’s gay community uses specifically for meeting. There are perhaps places to hang out, parties to attend, speakers to hear, but as far as physical objects go, I can think of exactly zero special to this group of individuals. Then I found out that artifacts are not necessarily items that one can hold but are generally “material objects that represent the culture of that site” (_143 book_). So then I started thinking about what members of Spectrum used on a daily or weekly basis. Their website was the first thing I thought of because it was the first thing I looked at when initially starting my research on the subculture. It helped me, an outsider, to learn both general and specific knowledge about the subculture, find out about meetings I could attend, and learn a little more about possible candidates for interviews later on. The site is very helpful and creative; it is obvious that Spectrum has put a lot of time and energy in making it what it is today.
-Julia St. John