BRATTLEBORO — Queer Dance Party, a local organization devoted to supporting the queer community, comes to Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) on Friday, July 28, 7 to 10 p.m., with a family-friendly event.
The evening will feature drag performances, a dance party with music by DJ Bux Wild, and a pop-up exhibition of Jeffrey Lewis's photographs of the southern Vermont drag scene. This event is presented in conjunction with the exhibition "Pride 1983," on view at BMAC through Oct. 9.
"Pride 1983" explores the origins and legacy of Vermont's first LGBTQ2+ Pride celebration. Forty years ago, on June 25, 1983, 350 people rallied in Burlington's City Hall Park and marched through the city's downtown in a memorable event that has recurred in either Burlington or Montpelier every year since. Participants risked their jobs, personal safety, and relationships with their families to bring visibility to Vermont's queer community and advocate for their civil rights.
The exhibition includes archival materials from the Pride Center of Vermont, UVM Special Collections, and Out in the Open Andrews Inn Oral History Project, as well as the personal collections of individuals featured in the exhibition. It also includes interviews with 12 activists and organizers crucial to the establishment of Pride in Burlington. The exhibition was organized by the Pride Center of Vermont and Vermont Folklife and is generously supported by Liz Shayne and Tiffany Bluemle, the Samara Fund, the Vermont Humanities, and Vermont Folklife's donors.
Tickets, which are by donation on a sliding scale of $5–15, will be available at the door. Proceeds will support Queer Dance Party.
For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org.