Partnership With the New-York Historical Society Announced
A rendering of the New York Historical Society’s expansion project, as seen from Central Park West. Credit: Alden Studios for Robert A.M. Stern Architects
The American LGBTQ+ Museum has partnered with the New York Historical Society to open the first-ever exhibition space!
The New York Historical Society, a museum and library dedicated to telling the stories of America’s largest city, announced a major expansion, which will include an entire floor dedicated to the forthcoming American LGBTQ+ Museum.
For decades, local activists have talked about the need for a museum to document the history of the queer movement, said Richard Burns, the museum’s board chair.
“Suddenly we’ve reached this moment, a tipping point where more and more people are saying, ‘We better record this history, integrate it and celebrate it before we lose it,’” Burns said. “And so, in 2017, in January, a group of us got together in a living room and began having this conversation.”
The expansion is being designed by renowned firm Robert A.M. Stern Architects, with work expected to begin next year.
The American LGBTQ+ Museum, which includes notable queer activists and notables like Urvashi Vaid, Tiq Milan, and Benj Pasek on its board of trustees, describes its mission as thus:
“The American LGBTQ+ Museum preserves, investigates, and celebrates the dynamic histories and cultures of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, as well as those of the emergent and adjacent identities among our communities. Using exhibitions and programs, we seek to advance LGBTQ+ equality through the lens of social justice movements, including, but not limited to, race, gender, class, immigration, and disability. We envision a world in which all people work toward and experience the joy of liberation.”
An opening date for the museum is yet to be determined.
