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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2014
Contact: Wendy Malloy
Museum of History & Industry PR
media@mohai.org
206 324 1126 Ext. 150

MOHAI Explores LGBTQ History in Locally-Developed Exhibit, Revealing Queer

February 1, 2014

SEATTLE, WA–The Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) proudly begins its second year in its new home at Lake Union Park by presenting Revealing Queer, a landmark exhibit on the history of the LGBTQ community in the Puget Sound region. This exhibit is one of the very first of its kind in a history museum, and will be on display from Friday, February 14, 2014 through Sunday, July 6, 2014.

MOHAI invites the community to join in celebrating the opening of this breakthrough exhibit at the Revealing Queer Opening Night Celebration on Friday, February 14, 2014, from 7–11 pm at MOHAI. The evening will feature drink, dessert, activities and performances from LGBTQ groups across Seattle. Tickets are $12 for the general public and $10 for MOHAI members, and are available online. MOHAI members will get to preview Revealing Queer on Wednesday, February 12 from 6–8:30 pm.

Revealing Queer explores how the Puget Sound LGBTQ community has grown, changed, become more visible, and worked towards equality. Informed throughout by the lived experiences of this incredibly diverse population, the exhibit traces its history from an emerging underground group in the years before the Stonewall Riots of 1969, to the large and politically active community that helped make marriage equality law in Washington State in 2012. Visitors will be able to discover this complex history through a variety of themes, including language, significant cultural spaces, queer celebrations, regional law, and more. The artifacts, photographs, and documents that fill the exhibit have come both from MOHAI’s collection and from donors across the country—many have not been seen before by the public.

This exhibit is the result of collaboration between many individuals and organizations, led by Erin Bailey and Nicole Robert, co-founders of Queering the Museum—an ongoing project to uncover and share LGBTQ stories in institutions across the country. Bailey and Robert worked closely with a Community Advisory Committee composed of representatives from local LGBTQ organizations to create Revealing Queer. “We started this project seeking to explore ways to engage LGBTQ communities in museums,” says Bailey, stating, “This exhibition has recovered history that would have otherwise been lost, and is preserving the history that’s happening now. We’re trying to ensure that the Queer narrative is archived.”

Revealing Queer will be featured in MOHAI’s Ted and Linda Johnson Family Community Gallery, an intimate space designed to promote community ownership of MOHAI through exhibits curated in collaboration with local partners. Its rotating exhibits offer an opportunity to hear diverse voices and stories from the contemporary Puget Sound region. Past exhibitions in the Community Gallery have included Punctum/Poetry, presented with ArtsCorps, and Still Afloat: A Contemporary History of Seattle’s Floating Homes, presented with the Floating Homes Association.

MOHAI thanks the Pride Foundation, Microsoft, 4Culture, and the Seattle Foundation for their generous support of Revealing Queer.

About MOHAI

MOHAI is dedicated to enriching lives through preserving, sharing, and teaching the diverse history of Seattle, the Puget Sound region, and the nation. As the largest private heritage organization in the State of Washington; the museum engages communities through interactive exhibits, online resources, and award-winning public and youth education programs. For more information about MOHAI, please call 206 324 1126.

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