Material in this collection roughly describes the emergence of the downtown New York art world of the 1970s and 1980s through Ahearn's/Dickson's participation in the artist's groups Collaborative Projects (Colab) and Fashion Moda, as well as their involvement in three highly influential art exhibitions in the latter half of the 20th Century: the Real Estate Show (1980), the Times Square Show (1980), and the "Messages to the Public" series (1982).

The Patricia Morrisroe papers were created and assembled in the process of writing her biography of Robert Mapplethorpe. They include original interview tapes that she recorded, interview transcripts, correspondence, research files, notebooks, catalogues of most of Mapplethorpe’s exhibitions, publishing and movie contracts, communications, book reviews, and more.