Protesters at a Westlake Rally, Seattle, 1977
Credit: Northwest Lesbian and Gay History Museum Project
Over the past year and a half curator Erin Bailey has collaborated with a Community Advisory Committee to develop Revealing Queer, an exhibition that explores the last 40 years of regional LGBTQ histories. The exhibition looks at legal reform, activism, community organizations and exceptional individuals that highlight the breadth of people and events that shape the diverse LGBTQ communities in the region.
Using a Community Advisory Committee is not a new model, the Wing Luke Museum has mastered the process and tells a multitude of complicated histories in beautifully touching exhibitions. Queering the Museum project adopted the model to create an advisory committee that supported our symposium in 2012, the digital storytelling workshop and the Revealing Queer exhibition. This committee supported the exhibition by shaping the content, editing text, connecting us with objects and spreading the word. Our committee was dedicated to the process and tirelessly worked on this exhibition over the last year and a half. Without them the exhibition would simply not exist. We intentionally approached LGBTQ groups in the region to join the committee in October of 2011, finalizing the list early 2012. The organizations that accepted our offer include, API Chaya, Entre Hermanos, Gay City Health Project, Ingersoll Gender Center, Gender Alliance of the South Sound, Lily Divine Productions, Northwest Lesbian and Gay History Museum Project, Oasis Youth Center, Puget Sound – Old Lesbians Organizing for Change, Queer Youth Space, Rainbow Center, Seattle Gay News and the University of Washington.
Revealing Queer opens on February 14, 2014 with a bang! Opening Night Celebrations start at 7 pm, come and groove to DJ SassyBlack (Cat of THEESatisfaction), watch queer burlesque performed my Lily Divine of Lily Divine Productions and Pidgeon Von Tramp of Pidgeon Coop Productions, play gay bingo hosted by Mama Tits, and join gallery tours led by Erin Bailey, Nicole Robert, George Bakan and Larry Knopp. Throughout the night Queering the Museum’s Digital Storytelling workshop films will be screened.
Interested? Can’t wait to go? Us too! Tickets are available here. The ticket prices includes access to all of MOHAI’s exhibitions, including Drawn to Seattle and MOHAI’s permanent exhibitions.
Following the opening join us on February 20th for a History Cafe that explores community history projects that are helping to save our histories.
We can’t thank everyone who helped make this exhibit enough. Through loaning objects, time and knowledge, Revealing Queer is truly a collective effort.
See you on the 14th!
Queering the Museum Project 
Erin and Nicole have done an excellent job in bringing this project to fruition. Helping on the community committee is a labor of love. Pencil this in on your calendar and bring friends. xoxoxo George Bakan / SGN
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