A new exhibition at The Lowry is inviting Salford’s LGBTQ+ community and their allies to share their stories by pinning them on a giant map.
Created as part of LGBTQ+ history month, LGBTQ+ Salford includes the map, a Salford LGBTQ+ timeline and four illustrations inspired by Salford’s LGBTQ+ history – all made by local queer artist Hannah McLennan-Jones.
“When we think about the ways in which the art and culture sector does the work [for the LGBTQ+ community] at its best, it’s really when we’re telling the stories of real people and their real lives,” said Emma Underwood, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at The Lowry.
“What this exhibition hopes to do is give people the chance to share their experiences, and also to inspire others, to inspire that moment of connection.”
“[We want people to] think actually, I’m not alone – there’s so many people like me out there. That connection is so important to LGBTQ+ communities.”
The exhibition was in part inspired by the website Queering The Map, an online map of the world where people can drop a pin with a message relating to their own LGBTQ+ story.
Submissions so far have ranged from ‘this is where we bought a house together’ to ‘this is where I had my first kiss with a man’, to just nice messages from people at The Lowry.
Anyone can contribute to the map, either by writing down their stories on paper at The Lowry, or submitting them online.
The exhibition is on display at The Lowry Gallery until Sunday 5th March. The Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm.
Find out more about LGBTQ+ Salford on The Lowry website.