Expanding LGBT Community Archival Holdings and Exhibiting Archival Material to Engage Communities in Regional LGBT History

Faculty Mentor:

Mary Foltz, Associate Professor, English

Project Summary:

This project is working with the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, PA which since its opening in 2016, has collected materials from community members, LGBT owned businesses, and regional media to start an archive dedicated to the Lehigh Valley LGBT community. This archive is becoming more accessible to LGBT people and allies in the Lehigh Valley, and the team in 2019 imagined and designed accessible digital platforms for archival material and effective public exhibitions of archival material. This year they are continuing to expand, curate, and discover archival material. This year they are continuing to expand, curate and discover archival materials that document the history of LGBTQ+ people in the Lehigh Valley.  This team will create a public exhibit of the the archive, working with local partners and organizations to mine the trove of hidden histories and bring them to light.