National Council on Public History

PROPOSAL TYPE

Roundtable or Lightning Round

SEEKING

• Seeking Additional Presenters
• Seeking General Feedback and Interest
• Seeking Specific Expertise

RELATED TOPICS

• Archives
• Memory
• Museums/Exhibits

ABSTRACT

This session aims to examine creative methods for sharing LGBTQIA+ history that utilizing growing networks of community and/or museum-based LGBTQIA+ archives. It will bring together an intentionally interdisciplinary group of presenters coming from the fields of history, design, art, media, and more to share unique projects such as artworks, museum exhibitions, media projects, and beyond. Presenters will engage in a discussion about the challenges and strengths of their unique research and creative methods and will explore how lessons from different approaches can inform future work across disciplines to foster awareness, expand understandings, and forge stronger futures for LGBTQIA+ history work and contemporary LGBTQIA+ communities.

DESCRIPTION

The Gateway to Pride exhibition held at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis, Missouri from June 2024-July 2025 was a landmark opportunity to showcase the Missouri Historical Society’s Gateway to Pride collecting initiative. In developing the exhibition, we had the opportunity to encounter numerous projects that are also diving into the growing network of community and museum-based LGBTQIA+ archives and developing powerful projects that share their stories with the public.

We hope to create a multi-panelist session that will feature an interdisciplinary array of voices to showcase some of the exciting work that is being done and provide ideas of new ways to utilize LGBTQIA+ archives and share LGBTQIA+ history. Particularly in these times of heightened cultural and political controversy over LGBTQIA+ history, the panel will explore the current and omnipresent challenges faced in researching and sharing LGBTQIA+ history, with an aim of learning from the strengths and solutions of varying disciplines.
We currently expect two participants, exhibit designer Abigail Sarver-Verhey and Associate Curator of Community History, Ian Darnell, from the Missouri Historical Society, who would speak to their research and design work on the Gateway to Pride exhibition. We are seeking additional panelists for either a Roundtable or Lightning Round session.

Panelists may have created work shown in museums but ideally are not traditional museum professionals to broaden the perspective of the conversation and showcase less traditional archival research and interpretation projects. This might include artists, writers, independent podcasters or multimedia creators, designers, and beyond. Panelists should be able to speak to projects that utilized materials from LGTBQIA+ archives to reflect on an/or share LGBTQIA+ history.

Any insight into whether a Roundtable or Lightning Round session might be more suited to the topic would also be appreciated. If a Lightning Round session is determined to be the best approach, Ian Darnell is open to serving as the moderator, but we would also be willing to select a moderator from other interested potential panelists.

Any input on existing needs that might be out there, such as new ideas for LGBTQIA+ exhibitions or archives-based programs, advice for those working outside the history profession on establishing collaborations with archives, etc., could help inform the selection of additional presenters from certain fields or projects.

If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly:
Abigail Sarver-Verhey, Missouri Historical Society, [email protected]

All feedback and offers of assistance should be sent by  November 15, 2025. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.

Discussion