“Queer Stories/Queer Spaces” Opens at the Sharp Museum



This Friday (4/4) marked the opening reception of the installation, “Queer Stories/Queer Spaces: Southern Illinois Histories and Queertographies” in the Sharp Museum on the SIU Campus. A reception was held at 4:30 to celebrate the opening. Due to recent storms and other technical difficulties, many of the acoustic and projection elements were not yet functional. Even so, many of the elements of the installation were in place enough for the local LGBTQ+ Community to get a preview of the installation which should be fully operational within the next week. 

Isn’t It Queer contributed to this installation by participating in the collection and editing of oral histories included in it and sharing some of those by way promotion on this week’s episode, especially stories about local LGBTQ+ swimming hole, “The Pit.” The project was made in collaboration with Golden Rainbows of Illinois South (GRIS), ACORN Equality Illinois, The SIU Paulette Curkin Pride Resource Center, the SOIL Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, SIU’s Morris Library, and the SIU Sharp Museum as well as several prominent members of the community. 

The Installation will be open through October 31 of this year at the Sharp Museum, open 12-4 Tuesdays through Fridays and 1-4 Saturdays (closed Sundays and Mondays). Morris Library also has an online guide for the installation. Admission to the museum is free.

We hope this project will be the start to a continued effort to collect and archive the oral histories of our Southern Illinois queer and trans communities. We at Isn’t It Queer are committed to collecting and sharing such stories. To this end, the installation includes a Story Booth where visitors can share their stories and add to the ever growing oral history of LGBTQ+ communities in Southern Illinois.












A reminder that this history isn’t definitive or complete.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SIUC Research Professor Targeted for Distraction

Image
In Carbondale, we are experiencing a bit of a storm, and not just the typical tornado kind that blew through in the wee hours of yesterday morning. On Wednesday, March 12, Libs of Tik Tok posted screen shots from social media platforms of what it claimed were SIUC School of Medicine research professor, Dr. Kyle Miller, masturbating alone in public sites around the SIU Carbondale Campus. The Daily Egyptian reported the story on Thursday, March 13 here .  In our upcoming episode of Isn’t It Queer on Wednesday, March 19, we will not be discussing or going into details on this breaking story. Instead, we will continue with our planned interviews with members of two LGBTQ advocating organizations in Southern Illinois. We consider the Miller story on-going and more of a disturbing and deliberate distraction than something worthy, at this point, of on-air commentary. What is emerging appears to be a concerted effort by right-wing operatives to use this story to focus criticism on SIUC...
Read more

IIQ Producer and Co-Host’s Community Service Recognized with SIU Lindell W. Sturgis Award

Image
It is with a deep sense of honor and gratitude that I receive the 2025 Lindell W. Sturgis Award from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Details of why I am the recipient of the award are included in local media stories, such as this one at The Southern Illinoisan .  The award recognizes outstanding community service provided by an SIUC employee. I am involved in a number community advocacy initiatives, but the ones principally recognized by this award include: producing the community radio broadcast/podcast Isn’t it Queer ; being a founding member and current treasurer of the SOIL Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence ; being a founding member and workshop facilitator of The Beloved Puppetistas and the annual All Species Parade on Earth Day; leadership and convener roles for Gay Spirit Visions . To be honest, given the current political climate and the Federal turn against DEI, particularly queer and trans people, I thought the nomination for the award was a long shot. Southe...
Read more