New Hope Celebrates History Exhibit at Visit Bucks County:
New exhibit debuts January 13th and will be available in the lobby for viewing until Mar. 23, 2019.
Equality – Pride in Our History Exhibit takes visitors on a journey through the decades of gay pride and will showcase a collection of stories, photos and memorabilia contributed by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning individuals and their allies (LGBTQA). This educational exhibit highlights New Hope Celebrates’ commitment to honoring the historic contributions made by gay individuals to Bucks County’s diverse, welcoming community through showcasing LGBTQ+ community from the past five decades.
Hosted by Visit Bucks County, 3207 Street Road, Bensalem PA (located next to PARX Casino) from Jan. 13th through Mar. 23rd, 2019, it will be open to the public daily from 9 am- 5 pm seven days a week.
An opening brunch presented by The Raven Resort will be held on Jan 13th, 2019 from 11:30am-3:00pm.
The exhibit celebrates the 50th year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City that led to annual global Gay Pride parades and marches. These activities eventually contributed to the enactment of equal rights legislation as well as the legalization of gay marriage in the US.
To commemorate this event, the Equality Exhibit will showcase the gay experience of New Hope, Bucks County, PA. juxtaposed to national events that occurred in gay culture during the late 1960s through present day. It’s a colorful glimpse into the past, featuring images, artifacts, and information, highlighted by the stories of local individuals who have made meaningful contributions to New Hope and Bucks County’s LGBTQ+ community.
In addition, we are honored to host the premiere of the PA LGBT History Network’s Equal Rights Display.
The exhibit is under the direction of Daniel Brooks, NHC & NHCH Founder. Designed and Produced by Gordon Pulaski, NHC’s Creative Director. Special thanks to Visit Bucks, NHC Board of Directors, Cora Berke, The Raven Resort, New Hope, Eric Rounds LLC and Impact Signs of New Hope.
www.newhopecelebrateshistory.org is an interactive website where individuals can contribute their cherished photographs and stories to be archived and preserved. NHCH began to offer these images, along with editorial and artifacts, as a pop-up exhibit to be toured and treasured by both locals and tourist guests alike.
This evolving pop-up exhibit has been seen in various spots in the past five years, including New Hope Arts A-Space, the New Hope Bucks County Playhouse Visitors Center, and a variety of art galleries in both New Hope and neighboring Lambertville, NJ. In 2016, an installment of a kiosk with direct access to New Hope Celebrate History’s website was installed at the Free Library of New Hope-Solebury to promote and assure easy and free accessibility by all.
In 2016, Playhouse Properties donated space to New Hope Celebrate, and it ran as a pop-up LGBTQ+ museum for three months. During that time over 3,000 tourists were both entertained by and educated to the area’s prominence of LGBTQ+ influence, its colorful past and desirability as a tourism destination.
“This is my first time in New Hope and this exhibit was such a welcoming surprise. It tells the tales of how welcoming, artistic and accepting the area is, and it makes me want to return!” wrote one visitor in the exhibit’s guest book.
OUR MISSION: New Hope Celebrates (NHC), is a nonprofit organization focused on highlighting the history and cultural nuances of New Hope, PA while stimulating the retail, hospitality, and professional community. NHC is comprised of an Executive Board that drives activities and events that serve the diverse LGBTQ+ populace through the creation and promotion of marketing opportunities, educational activities, and cultural events. One such event is the annual, week long PRIDE celebration held annually in May.
