Artistic Homes: Queer Landmarks and Public Interpretation

In partnership with Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation | Hosted by the New York Studio School

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LGBTQ artists have played a major role in influencing American cultural life, yet their personal identities are typically not presented when visitors explore their historic studios and homes.

Efforts to correct these omissions are at the forefront of the movement to landmark and celebrate significant LGBTQ sites, including historic house museums. Many of these sites are now working to document and interpret the one-time residents to reflect their true lives, loves, friendships, and influences. The process from research, through official designation, to changes in public programs and interpretation is a complex journey and the reception in local communities can vary. In this Pride Month, three historic house museums in the art and design worlds—The Glass House, the Alice Austen House, and the Demuth Museum—are coming together to discuss this process and how telling the full story of their history has been received.

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