The educational exhibit highlights New Hope Celebrates’ commitment to honoring the historic contributions made by gay individuals to Bucks County’s diverse welcoming community
The Times
“Equality — Pride in Our History Exhibit” takes visitors on a journey through the decades of gay pride and will showcase a collection of stories, photos and memorabilia contributed by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning individuals and their allies (LGBTQA).
This educational exhibit highlights New Hope Celebrates’ commitment to honoring the historic contributions made by gay individuals to Bucks County’s diverse welcoming community through showcasing the LGBTQ+ community from the past five decades.
Hosted by Visit Bucks County, 3207 Street Road, Bensalem, from Jan. 13-March 23, it will be open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.
The exhibit celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City that led to annual global Gay Pride parades and marches. These activities eventually contributed to the enactment of equal rights legislation as well as the legalization of gay marriage in the U.S.
To commemorate this event, the “Equality Exhibit” will showcase the gay experience of New Hope, juxtaposed to national events that occurred in gay culture during the late 1960’s through present day. It’s a colorful glimpse into the past, featuring images, artifacts and information, highlighted by the stories of local individuals who have made meaningful contributions to New Hope and Bucks County’s LGBTQ+ community.
In addition, visitors can experience the premiere of the PA LGBT History Network’s Equal Rights Display.
The exhibit is under the direction of Daniel Brooks, NHC and NHCH founder. It was designed and produced by Gordon Pulaski, NHC’s creative director.
This evolving pop-up exhibit has been seen in various spots in the past five years, including New Hope Arts A-Space, the New Hope Bucks County Playhouse Visitors Center, and a variety of art galleries in both New Hope and neighboring Lambertville, New Jersey.
In 2016, Playhouse Properties donated space to New Hope Celebrates, and it ran as a pop-up LGBTQ+ museum for three months. During that time, more than 3,000 tourists were both entertained by and educated to the area’s prominence of LGBTQ+ influence, its colorful past and desirability as a tourism destination.
Visit newhopecelebrateshistory.org or visitbuckscounty.com, or email history@newhopecelebrates.com for more information.
