From Margin to Center: LGBTQ+ History in Worcester

professor stephanie yuhl exhibit

 

Professor of History Stephanie Yuhl was awarded a Scholarship in Action grant in May 2018. Following years of public history consultation, including her curation of the “Worcester in 50 Objects” exhibit at the Worcester Historical Museum, Yuhl’s project, “From Margin to Center” partnered with the museum and a a community board of invested stakeholders to make visible and accessible Worcester’s rich, but long-overlooked, LGBTQ+ history.  In addition to collaboration with a community board,  Yuhl partnered with Bob Tobin from Clark University and Joe Cullen from WPI to help curate the well-received  2019 exhibit, "For the Record: LGBTQ+ History in Worcester." For their efforts, the team were awarded with keys to the city of Worcester. Yuhl, Tobin and Cullen also published a catalog of the exhibit, narrating the community's history through the objects collected and stories shared from the community.  Yuhl's efforts extended beyond the exhibit to include building an extensive oral history collection and partnering with Worcester Historical Museum staff around collection management and access. This collaboration intended to  contribute to the museum’s larger strategic mission to become more inclusive, democratic, and collaborative in both its holdings and in its storytelling.