Devyn Waitt shares her experience curating a special exhibit honoring her father’s lasting impact on the adult nightclub industry, coming to the Erotic Heritage Museum this summer.
(Note: This article appears in the May 2026 issue of ED Magazine.)
This year’s ED EXPO will feature an opening reception for an Exotic Dancer exhibit featuring a digital archive of the magazine, memorabilia from more than three decades of ED — the EXPO and the magazine — and a spotlight on the professional and creative work of ED Magazine founder and publisher, Don Waitt. At the center of it all is Devyn Waitt, Don’s daughter, who has taken on the task of bringing her father’s vision to life. The subject of creating an archive came up during a meetup in Las Vegas while Don was in town interviewing Deja Vu founder Harry Mohney for the first article in his Founders Interview Series.
“I happened to be in Vegas when he went out there to do that interview,” Devyn recalls. “My dad called me to meet up with him, Harry and his wife at a karaoke bar. That’s where my dad first mentioned their plans to put all the magazines in an archive for the Erotic Heritage Museum.”
At the time, it was just an idea. But when Don passed away that March while ED Publications was in the process of moving into a new office building, urgency took over.
“I think what’s cool about the exhibit is you can carve your own path through it. The draw is being able to explore and see the entirety of the archive in one place.” — Devyn Waitt
“I was worried that something was going to get lost in the shuffle,” Devyn explains. “So I just went up to the office and asked if they had copies of all of the magazines.”
What followed was a massive undertaking, both physically and emotionally. With the help of ED staff, she managed to save most of the magazines from getting misplaced.
“I remember loading them into the car and then from the car into my parents’ house,” she says. “It took me like an hour and a half each time. There were so many physical boxes. But when I started going through them, I realized we had 90% of everything right there.”
Once Devyn reached out to Mohney, the project quickly began to take shape, and despite never having curated a museum exhibit before, she did her research and connected with the right people to make her vision a reality. The result will be an experience that allows viewers to explore decades of ED content in a dynamic, searchable format.
“I think what’s cool about the exhibit is you can carve your own path through it,” she explains. “The draw is being able to explore and see the entirety of the archive in one place.”
Among the thousands of pages, one of Devyn’s favorites is an article covering a 1999 First Amendment case tied to Club Juana. In a form of protest against anti-nudity ordinances, the club staged a nude performance of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” called “Macbeth in the Buff.”
“I just love that story,” she says. “I feel like it really represents the spirit that drew my dad to the industry.”
Beyond the archive, the exhibit will incorporate personal artifacts that reflect Don’s identity as both a publisher and a storyteller, including the original typewriter he used to kick off his career as a reporter for The Shreveport Times.
“When I think about my dad, I think first and foremost about his time as a journalist and a writer,” Devyn says. “The typewriter feels representative of his heart.”
While the exhibit will debut in conjunction with the 2026 ED Expo, its long-term impact may extend far beyond a single event.
“I definitely feel a sense of duty towards protecting this project,” she tells us. “It’s a pretty vital piece of American history. Strip clubs are kind of the canary in the coal mine for First Amendment rights. They’re always important, and they’re always kind of political.”
During the time she spent organizing the archive, Devyn gained a new perspective on her father’s work, one that has become a driving force behind the project.
“I’ve been surrounded by ED my whole life,” she says reflectively. “It’s weird that I wasn’t reading these magazines while he was publishing them.”
Now, those same magazines will be accessible not just to longtime industry insiders, but to a new generation of readers through an exhibit made possible by its sponsors.
“Thank you guys,” Devyn wholeheartedly expresses to those who donated. “I’m so excited that this is going to be opening up at the Expo because, really, it’s a celebration of you and the attendees.”
“I also want to thank Michael J. Peter,” she adds. “He and I had a wonderful day together searching for the first issue of the magazine in a bunch of his old storage units, where I got to hear so many cool stories. I was so grateful to get to spend time with him!”
Devyn would like to extend a special thanks to those who’ve helped make the Exotic Dancer Archive exhibit possible: Michael J. Peter, Bucks Cabaret, Gold Rush Ultra Cabaret, MAL Entertainment, The Pony, Rick’s and Scores Chicago. Devyn is still seeking donations to finalize funding for the exhibit. Donations can be made here.
