Where are all the Lesbians? In search of a Lesbian Genealogy in a Museum Collection

This research will interrogate the under representation of lesbian historic lives in the RPMT's collections and archive. Scholarship has argued that in 'museum work' (encompassing collections and exhibitions) there is little evidence of the contribution of lesbians to society, which mirrors the gaps and distortions of lesbian lives in LGBTQ+ histories in general (Levin, 2010). The project stems from the my MA dissertation on the representation of lesbians in museum practices together with my direct experience as a co-curator for the Queer the Pier (QtP) exhibition currently on display at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. It will enhance RPMT's ongoing work to represent LGBTQ+ histories in its collections and exhibition programming, as evidenced in the Queer Looks project (2018) and the exhibition on the artist Gluck (2017). The research will examine RPMT's collection records to explore the breadth and depth of representations of lesbian lives. It will give the lesbian community the opportunity to actively participate in the museum, challenging heteronormative reproduction and disrupting established curatorial and educational practices to model an inclusive museum. Stimulating a spectrum of lesbian women voices and viewpoints, it will inspire critical debate regarding how historic figures are included and recorded with RMPT's collections. To achieve these aims, I will lead workshops to research and produce an exhibition at RPMT with lesbian women participants from the local community. A multi-methodological approach, including museological, archival and audience research, autoethnography, and the framework of intersectionality will be utilised. Autoethnography offers an intersection of my personal narration and critical reflection (Adam, 2017) through observational notes and photographs produced during the inception, workshop R&D, the exhibition, and legacy of the project. By adopting intersectional theory, marginalized groups and their lived lives - side-lined...