San Diego History Center LGBTQ Exhibit
San Diego History Center LGBTQ Exhibit
The San Diego History Center in partnership with the Lambda Archives brings the first exhibition EVER in Balboa Park, focused on San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community. Titled LGBTQ+San Diego: Stories of Struggles and Triumphs this will be the History Center’s major exhibition of 2018 and will run to January 2020 with an estimated 250,000 visitors!
EXHIBITION THEMES:
San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community has faced both tragedy and triumph. This exhibition focuses on major community themes including:
- Identity – Who we are and how we define ourselves
- Persecution
- Pioneers who have helped shape our Region’s LGBTQ+ Community
- Families we make and choose
- Where the San Diego LGBTQ+ Community is headed and the work that remains ahead
Visitors will hear from those in the LGBTQ+ region about the struggles to overcome persecution, the battle with AIDS, bullying, and intolerance, and the power of the community.
CURATION & COMMUNITY COLLABORATION:
The exhibition curatorial team is led is by Lillian Faderman, LGBTQ+ scholar and author of the book The Gay Revolution and Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death from Yale University Press.
The San Diego History Center, a Smithsonian Affiliate, has been preserving our region’s history and making it available to the public since 1928. It operates its flagship museum in the heart of Balboa Park as well as the Junípero Serra Museum in historic Presidio Park and tells the diverse stories from our region’s past. The History Center is the steward of our heritage and the principal resource for San Diego history. No other institution is solely devoted to preserving San Diego’s collective history and enhancing community identity.
The mission of the Lambda Archives of San Diego is to collect, preserve, and teach the history of LGBTQIA+ people in the greater San Diego region. Most of the collections date to post-1970, with some original materials dating back to the 1930s. History is best reflected in the records and cultural artifacts of persons and organizations directly involved in historical events; Lambda Archives is dedicated to preserving and interpreting this important historical material and making it available for researchers, scholars, and the public.
Located near downtown San Diego, Balboa Park is the largest urban cultural park in the United States. First established by the City of San Diego in 1868, it is also one of the oldest city parks in the nation and is the most visited single destination in San Diego. Its 1,200 acres include 17 museums, many gardens and attractions, the San Diego Zoo, miles of hiking trails, and multiple athletic complexes to explore and discover.