A mission to create the first LGBTQ+ museum in Massachusetts has begun after art curator, Jean Dolin, founded the Boston LGBTQ+ Museum of Art, History and Culture, a nonprofit organization which awaits funding to bring this vision to life.
Dolin moved to Boston from Haiti 11 years ago and noticed a lack of LGBTQ+ representation in the Boston art world that motivated him to act. He curated an LGBTQ+ exhibition in Boston that received international attention for LGBTQ+ History month in October of 2022. The exhibition entitled “Portraits of Pride,” displayed in Boston Common, featured 8-foot portraits of local LGBTQ+ leaders. Dolin was inspired and his work didn’t stop there.
“I started to wonder what it would be like to have an LGBTQ museum in Boston,” Dolin told the Boston Globe. “And it dawned on me that if you want something and it hasn’t been created, then you have to create it.”
Once the nonprofit receives enough funding to create its own space, the museum will centralize itself around the works of LGBTQ+ artists and depict LGBTQ+ topics including queer love, gender dysphoria, transitioning, gender expression, identity, etc.
However, Dolin admits that the project is a big undertaking, and a permanent museum space realistically might not be ready for up to five years. Instead of seeing this as a challenge or setback, Dolin sees it as an opportunity to work with local galleries and showcase artworks in various parts of the city, making it accessible to various communities.
Currently, the organization is gearing up to have an exhibition in the spring of 2024, to celebrate 20 years of marriage equality in the state of Massachusetts, the first state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004. Moving forward the organization hopes to partner with other groups who can help shed light on the history of gay and trans rights. When the museum launches in the coming years, it will become another milestone in Massachusetts’ long LGBTQ+ history.
Make a donation to help the growth of the Boston LGBTQ+ Museum of Art, History and Culture at this link.
Featured image by Nataliass
