Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month Through New Acquisitions

This month is an opportunity for us to reflect on the courage, resilience and triumphs that have shaped the diverse tapestry of the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ history month celebrates the countless individuals who, against adversity, dared to be their authentic selves and championed the right to love freely. It’s a reminder that every story, every struggle and every triumph has contributed to our rich history.

We’re delighted to announce the recent acquisition of multiple pieces created and inspired by the LGBTQ+ community. Let’s take a look at our new collection pieces…

Sunil Gupta Photographs

We are delighted to announce the addition of new works by the artist Sunil Gupta to our collection. Among these is the archival pigment print Shalini, Rudi, Sunil, Léo, and Stanley, a poignant image taken in a Montreal apartment shared by Gupta with his sister and partner, both of whom feature in the photograph. The image captures the people dearest to Sunil Gupta: his biological family and his ‘chosen family’ of friends and lovers, formed during the gay liberation movement in Montreal.

Sunil, born in New Delhi in 1953, is a renowned photographer, writer and activist currently living in London. Sunil’s career has spanned more than four decades, with his work exploring themes of ‘race, migration and queer identity‘ through the medium of photography.

Binder Created by Ollie Coles

We have acquired this black lycra binder, hand painted with flowers and the words ‘When in Bloom’. The binder was created by Ollie Coles, a tattoo artist based here in Preston. Ollie painted the binder as a reaction to the transphobia he has experienced – creating something beautiful out of pain.

‘When in Bloom’ refers to coming into yourself, progress, growth, and becoming the person you truly are. The Harris acquired Ollie’s binder so we can share and preserve his story with our communities and for future generations.

The Kingfisher Couture Acquisitions

The Rose Dress and Empire Ensemble were created by Ross Griffiths of Kingfisher Couture, a Preston-born designer, who found inspiration in The Harris’ fashion and textile displays during his visits with his mother while growing up in Chorley. 

The Rose Dress symbolises growth, reflecting Ross’s own transformation. The thornless rose motif on the dress signifies rebirth and the designer’s journey of overcoming addiction and homelessness, with HIV diagnosis being a turning point.

Ross has generously match-donated the purchase of the Rose Dress by offering his entire outfit worn to receive the This is Icon Emerging Designer Award in February 2023. The Empire Ensemble, a flamboyant and extravagant statement, embodies his identity as a designer and personality.

Working with Queer Britain and Aunt Nell

In 2024, The Harris teamed up with Lancashire Archives to be a host venue for workshops ran in conjunction with Queer Britain, the UK’s first and only LGBTQ+ museum, and Aunt Nell, an award-winning podcast production company.

The project, Amplifying Queer Voices, brought together eight heritage institutions and nine LGBTQ+ community groups from across the UK in an effort to reduce barriers that exclude LGBTQ+ people from heritage institutions. The aim of the workshop series was to inform and facilitate the making of a podcast that explored the lives of LGBTQ+ people living outside of the big UK cities.

From those that attended the workshops, a number of individuals were selected to be interviewed for a new podcast – The Quilt: Living memories of queer Britain & Northern Ireland. Interviewees discussed ‘powerful ways of thinking about the history of faith and spirituality’ and how this can ‘offer a way to explore the queer future’.

In November 2024, our Decorative Art Curator, Scott, travelled to the Queer Britain Museum in London to attend the launch of the podcast. Scott said:

“It was such a fantastic event! I met so many lovely people from around the UK who had contributed to this insightful podcast”

Listen to The Quilt podcast here!

Gay’s the Word: the Power of LGBTQ+ Books

Saturday, 15 February | 2.30 – 5.30pm | Queer Lit, 27 Great Ancoats Street, M4 5AJ

In this workshop during LGBTQ+ History Month, come and discover the untold story of what happened when government officers raided a queer bookshop in 1984 — and how the community fought back against censorship.

The workshop will be led by Adam Zmith and Shivani Dave. They are on a team of creative people developing a new stage musical about the 1984 bookshop raid. The team has fallen in love with the story of how a community of queer booksellers and book lovers in London resisted government censorship of essential books. They want to share the story outside London with YOU. And if the story inspires you too, you can share what queer books mean to you and do something creative. Your feelings about the story and queer books will feed into the writing of the new stage musical.

The workshop will be a chance to discover history, discuss, interact and be creative. When books are your only option for understanding yourself, what happens when they are taken away?

Register for free here!

LGBTQ+ History Month

Join us as we explore LGBTQ+ History including the Camp in the Collection series, Exhibit Gay and Harris collection objects and artworks.

Join performance artist Harry Clayton-Wright as we go on a quest to find the campest items in the Harris collections. Harry, a self confessed ‘connoisseur of camp’, has unearthed a variety of treasures from the Harris stores. They will take this opportunity to explore the queer roots of camp, looking at what makes these items so special and how they relate to LGBTQ life and culture.

Blogs  

Want to know more? Super! Read more about the Harris collection objects and artworks featured in the above videos:

Notes on Episode 1: Costume collection

Notes on Episode 2: Decorative Art collection

Notes on Episode 3: Fine Art & History

Exhibit Gay

A display has been curated and written by the Harris LGBTQ+ Group, which includes people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer. Exhibit Gay is about our journey – the past, present and future of LGBTQ+ representation at the Harris and our hopes for the future.