2024 is the “Summer to Be Seen”

Milwaukee, WI. –  Thirty years ago this June, local researchers partnered with Jim Kepner of the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives (now the One Institute) to create Wisconsin’s first local history exhibit. Under the guidance of Don Schwamb, the exhibit – now known as the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project – grew to become the state’s largest digital collection of LGBTQ historical media.

To celebrate this milestone anniversary, the History Project is taking the show on the road with The Summer to Be Seen, an interactive traveling exhibit celebrating the people, places, events, and organizations that amplified LGBTQ visibility throughout Wisconsin history. Between June 1 and October 5, the Project will support sixteen hometown pride celebrations in every corner of Wisconsin.

Visibility matters more than ever

“We may have started at PrideFest Milwaukee, but we are dedicated to all Wisconsin communities,” said Don Schwamb, founder of the History Project. “It always bothered me that our History Project displays were only seen 2-3 days each year at PrideFest, before returning to storage until the next year’s festival.”

“We have finally achieved my dream of being a year-round educational resource, instead of just being a weekend exhibit. Pride is a way of life in 2024, not just something you do one weekend a year. People can now be seen in their hometown communities in a way that would have been impossible in 1994.”

“In an election year, there are over 500 anti-LGBTQ bills swirling in state legislatures, censors have targeted thousands of books in schools and libraries, and hometown prides have been threatened and silenced by actual Nazis right here in Wisconsin,” said Schwamb. “It’s never been more important for our people, our history, and our heritage to be seen.”

“The Summer to Be Seen is both a celebration and a call to action.”

The summer tour kicks off Friday, May 31 at Art*Bar Milwaukee with the opening of the Douglas Krimmer Collection. Krimmer (1951-2023) was an esteemed local photographer who chronicled the earliest pride events at a time when most media ignored or excluded the LGBTQ community.

“We were so honored that the Krimmer family chose to donate his collected works to the History Project,” said B.J. Daniels, board member. “As someone who attended those first few pride events, I remember how it felt to be unseen and ignored by mainstream media. We knew we had to do something to celebrate this man, who celebrated our community for who and what we were, when no one else would. We are thankful to Don Krause, owner of Art*Bar, for making this exhibit possible.”

The event also commemorates the 20^th anniversary of Art*Bar Milwaukee, which has been a Riverwest LGBTQ destination since summer 2004.

Uniting the pride nation

The Summer to Be Seen Tour will visit pride events of all sizes, ranging from first-time rallies to long-established festivals. Beyond the goals of outreach, education, and activation, the History Project seeks to support, unite, and amplify the work of hometown pride organizations.

“We want people to know that they aren’t alone, no matter where they live,” said Daniels. “They stand on the shoulders of giants, and they should take that as a sign of courage to become giants for our future. And that all starts with being and feeling seen!”

“Having statewide organizations want to come to our small town pride celebration is wonderful!” said Andrea Frank, secretary of Open Door Pride. “It gives us a feeling of being seen by larger organizations while doing the hard work in small, rural communities. It gives us another pat on the back to keep doing what we do – changing hearts and minds.”

“Folks who are LGBTQ and reside in rural areas need added support to reinforce that they exist and they matter,” said Royal Palmer of Platteville Pride. “Bringing the History Project to small towns tells those folks, ‘we see you, and you are part of the story.'”

Inspiring generation next

Although the History Project was founded in 1994, the non-profit organization has seen explosive growth and transformation in the past few years.

In 2021, the Project incorporated as an official Wisconsin non-profit under the leadership of a volunteer Board of Directors and the fiscal agency of Cream City Foundation. Last year, the Project launched a statewide resource network of 20 diverse Community Advisors who inform and influence strategy, content, and programming. This spring, the organization launched a “Story Corps” responsible for collecting, composing and publishing oral histories, and partnered with University of Wisconsin and Marquette University educators to create a formal internship program.

“The History Project began as a personal hobby,” said Schwamb. “It’s grown beyond my wildest dreams, and continues to grow more every day. It’s humbling to see professional researchers, news media, and government organizations, even the Library of Congress, recognizing us as the go-to authority for local LGBTQ history. I’m also proud that we remain an all-volunteer, unpaid organization after all these years. Our volunteers do this work because they want to make a difference.”

“There’s a definite yearning out there, across generations, for a connection to our past. People want to not only learn and teach history, but make and change history. And together, we will!”

Volunteers needed

The History Project seeks volunteers to support the Summer to Be Seen at all 16 tour stops throughout Wisconsin. Contact us at info@wislgbthistory.com to learn more.

Explore over a century of local LGBTQ history at the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project website.

Donate

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.