Exhibition to commemorate Stonewall uprising, evolution of LGBTQ movement

An exhibition celebrating the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the evolution of the LGBTQ movement will take place from May 15 to Oct. 31 at SUNY Oswego's Syracuse campus, 2 Clinton Square.

"Resistance, Love and Show Tunes: Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and the LGBTQ Movement" will feature the photography of Baltimore-based Katie Ellen Simmons Barth, whose work "captures the fierce, joyful, often marginalized world of LGBTQ communities," according to Amy Bartell, coordinator of community arts programming for SUNY Oswego.

In addition, the exhibition will feature "the images of resistance -- as we persevere -- testaments to the fight for social justice, dignity and equality -- posters, buttons, photos from various movements and marches -- a collection of rally cries for freedom," Bartell said.

A free, public reception will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at the college's Syracuse campus in the Atrium building on Clinton Square.

Rebecca Smith, who earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design at SUNY Oswego in 2017, designed the exhibition's "Resistance, Love and Show Tunes" logo, with the tagline "Honoring Stonewall and enduring activism, 1969-2019," according to Bartell.

The Stonewall uprising, a series of violent confrontations between police and gay rights activists, began June 28, 1969, outside the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. Some historians call the uprising a spontaneous protest against the perpetual police harassment and social discrimination suffered by a variety of sexual minorities in the 1960s, and trace the origin of today's LGBTQ movement to that resistance.

The work of Simmons Barth has been featured on Broadwayworld.com, Huffingtonpost.com, ESPN magazine, Ebony Magazine, Playbill.com, The Beekman Almanac, Beekman1802.com, campuspride.org and many more.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays in the branch of Tyler Art Gallery in the main office suite at SUNY Oswego's Syracuse campus. For evening and weekend hours, call 315-399-4100.

For more information, contact Amy Bartell, coordinator of community exhibitions for SUNY Oswego, at amy.bartell@oswego.edu.