"Queer Joy, Museum Style" with the Smithsonian's Katherine Ott
Sat, Aug 30
|Irving Archives & Museum
What happens when museums take gender and sexuality seriously? Katherine Ott of the Smithsonian explores how saving queer history transforms everything—from storage rooms to storytelling.
Time & Location
Aug 30, 2025, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM CDT
Irving Archives & Museum, 801 W Irving Blvd, Irving, TX 75060, USA
Guests
About the event
Taking gender and sexuality seriously often disrupts the usual way museums operate. Practical issues related to the daily workings of the gift shop, object storage, and wayfinding have mundane solutions. When it comes to visitor happiness and telling full, compelling stories, things can get delicate. The complex and beautiful topic of American history elicits an alphabet of emotions, from awe and aggravation to vulnerability, wonder, and everything in between (X,Y, Z emotions are hard to find). This talk serves up the joy of working in a museum, saving queer history, and embracing the possibilities of America. This free event is presented by the Friends of the Irving Museums as part of Say It Loud: From the Shadows to the Mainstage, a speaker series amplifying LGBTQ+ voices and history in connection with the Badge Of Pride: From Silence...To Celebration! exhibition.
About Katherine Ott
Katherine Ott is a curator in the Division of…