MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (May 29, 2024) – In celebration of Pride Month and the return of the Going Out, Coming In exhibit, Mill City Museum and the Theater of Public Policy invite guests to experience a thoughtful, unique, and entertaining way to learn about previously unknown aspects of LGBTQIA+ history in Minneapolis through an evening of interviews, reflection, and improv comedy.
Theater of Public Policy: Queer Spaces, Twin Cities Places on June 7 at 7 pm will feature discussions about the history of Minneapolis’s LGBTQIA+ community featuring local scholars.
Joining the discussion will be public historian Noah Barth, the co-creator of the Going Out, Coming In exhibit which explores historic LGBTQIA+ gathering spaces in downtown Minneapolis. Barth holds a master’s degree in Heritage Studies and Public History and specializes in the histories of LGBTQIA+ people, HIV/AIDS, and social movements.
Special guest Adien Bettine, curator of the Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies at the University of Minnesota Libraries, will also join the conversation. He researches Midwest history pertaining to race, gender, and sexuality. Bettine co-runs Late Night Copies Press and holds master’s degrees in both Library and Information Sciences and Critical Ethnic Studies.
Host Tane Danger will interview Bettine and Barth. Then, the Theater of Public Policy’s improv comedy actors will bring the conversations to life through their signature unscripted comedy theater.
What:
Theater of Public Policy: Queer Spaces, Twin Cities Places
Where:
Mill City Museum
704 S. 2nd St. Minneapolis, MN 55407
When:
Friday, June 7
7:00 pm–8:30 pm
Cost:
$15/MNHS members save 20%
Going Out, Coming In is a photo exhibit that details LGBTQIA+ resistance, love, and identity formation. It features sites where queer people found or created community while addressing the systemic challenges of legal and extralegal discrimination, urban renewal, and HIV/AIDS. The exhibit will be on display during regular museum hours in the free Mill Commons area until July 14, 2024.
About the Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves, and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs, and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories, and connects people with history.
About The Theater of Public Policy
Since 2011, The Theater of Public Policy has used improv comedy to bring “thinky” issues and conversations to life on stage. Part of Danger Boat Productions, their mission is to use humor and live theater to make a broad range of topics fun and engaging for diverse audiences.