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Ramdasha Bikceem Riot Grrrl Collection

Call Number

MSS.354

Dates

1974-1998, inclusive
; 1991-1995, bulk

Creator

Bikceem, Ramdasha

Extent

3.25 Linear Feet (7 Boxes)

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Abstract

Ramdasha Bikceem is a New York City DJ and vintage clothing store owner, and was a zine writer while she was a teenager, in the early 1990s. In her zine GUNK, Bikceem wrote about her girl skater gang and band of the same name, as well as on topics of race, feminism, youth angst, and the lack of diversity in the Riot Grrrl movement. The Ramdasha Bikceem Riot Grrrl Collection includes zines, zine masters, flyers, comics, correspondence, photos, media stills, and audiovisual material associated with Bikceem's participation in the punk and Riot Grrrl movements as both a writer and zine collector.

Biographical Note

Ramdasha Bikceem grew up in New Jersey, where she started writing a fanzine in 1990, when she was 15 years old. She was inspired by an older friend who had lived next door to Tobi Vail of Bikini Kill, who brought her copies of Girl Germs and Bikini Kill zines. These fanzines inspired her to start her own zine named GUNK. It mostly focused on her skater girl gang and band of the same name. Through this zine she connected with Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman, and other seminal figures in the Riot Grrrl scene. She travelled to Olympia, Washington, and later her band performed at the first Riot Grrrrl convention in 1992 in Washington D.C.

Bikceem completed five issues of her zine, which focused on topics of race, feminism and general youth angst. Particularly in the last few issues of Gunk, Ramdasha wrote about the lack of diversity within the scene, and expressed her opinions around racial dilemmas and class conflicts within the Riot Grrrl movement.

In 1993 she moved to Brooklyn, where she attended Pratt University. She currently lives in New York City where she DJs and makes music. She also runs a online vintage clothing store called Klub Kid Vintage.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into three series:

1. Series I: Zines
2. Series II: Ephemera and Correspondence
3. Series III: Video

The subseries within Series I represent Bikceem's own arrangement and categorizations. Materials within series and subseries are arranged alphabetically.

Scope and Content

The Ramdasha Bikceem Riot Grrrl Collection consists of zines, zine masters, comics, ephemera, flyers, catalogues, photos, media stills, correspondence, and media.The collection documents Bikceem's participation in the Riot Grrrl movement. A majority of the collection is comprised of Bikceem's personal collection of zines (bulk 1992-1996) and materials from her own zine, GUNK.

This collection is divided into 3 series:

Series I: Zines: This series comprises Bikceem's collection of zines related to punk and the Riot Grrrl Movement. It also includes materials pertaining to Bikceem's own zine, GUNK. It is further divided into seven subseries that were designated by Bikceem:

Subseries A: General Zines
Subseries B: Feminist Zines
Subseries C: Larger Zines
Subseries D: Dude Zines
Subseries E: Mini Zines
Subseries F: Unidentified Zines
Subseries G: GUNK

Series II: Ephemera and Correspondence: This series contains flyers, comics, catalogues, and correspondence (bulk 1992-1995). It is further divided into two subseries:

Subseries A: Ephemera
Subseries B: Correspondence

Series III: Video: This series contains 2 VHS casettes, "A Cinezine by K8 Hardy" and "[Frenchified lifestyle]."

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open to researchers. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); Ramdasha Bikceem Riot Grrrl Collection; MSS 354; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); collection name; MSS number; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

Provenance

The Ramdasha Bikceem Riot Grrrl Collection was donated to NYU's Fales Library by Ramdasha Bikceem in 2012.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers.

Collection processed by

Emily King, 2012.

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 17:13:06 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Repository

Fales Library and Special Collections
Fales Library and Special Collections
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012