It's almost June, which means Pride month is approaching! Ahead of the official march on June 30, cultural institutions around New York City are demonstrating their solidarity with and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community through talks, tours, and exhibitions. This year's theme "Reflect. Empower. Unite." sets the tone as we present a few design-minded Pride programs worth checking out in NYC and the tri-state area.

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Artistic Homes: Queer Landmarks and Public Interpretation by The Glass House

Queer artists have played a major role in influencing American cultural life, yet their personal identities are typically not presented when visitors explore their historic studios and homes. Efforts to correct these omissions are at the forefront of the movement to landmark and celebrate significant LGBTQ sites, including historic house museums. Many of these sites are now working to document and interpret the one-time residents to reflect their true lives, loves, friendships, and influences. For this year's Pride Month, three historic house museums in the art and design worlds—The Glass House, the Alice Austen House, and the Demuth Museum—are coming together to discuss this process and how telling the full story of their history has been received. This program is organized in partnership with Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, hosted by the New York Studio School.

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Walking Tour: LGBTQ History in Greenwich Village by AIA New York

NYC Pride is celebrated to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall uprising, a key turning point in the LGBTQ+ rights movement. In its immediate aftermath, new activist groups emerged fighting for liberation and visibility. However, NYC has a long and vibrant LGBTQ history that spans several centuries. Join the AIANY LGBTQ Alliance on June 5 at 6:00pm for a walking tour of pre- and post-Stonewall historic sites associated with early LGBTQ activism and community, all of which influenced American culture and politics. Starting at Christopher Park, across from Stonewall, follow Ken Lustbader from the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project to learn about the long-standing oppressive practices which led to the 1969 uprising and, before that, the 1966 “Sip-In” at Julius’ Bar. Stops along the tour will also highlight locations that have been especially impactful on the lives of LGBTQ people, including the starting point of the first-ever NYC Pride March (in 1970).

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Night at the Museum: Pride by MoMA PS1

Kick off Pride Month at Night at the Museum, an after-hours party with some of the city’s most exciting and experimental queer performers, as well as nightlife activations by notorious Brooklyn bar Singers. Enjoy late-night access to MoMA PS1's spring exhibitions, including Reynaldo Rivera: Fistful of Love/También la belleza, which features photographs of LA's queer, activist, and post-punk scenes from the last four decades.

OUT of the Jewelry Box and Identity Is... by Museum of Art and Design

Expanding the voices represented in MAD’s permanent collection, OUT of the Jewelry Box considers the importance of queer perspectives in the world of studio and contemporary art jewelry. The exhibition showcases an extraordinary gift from Ron Porter and Joe Price, who have collected and worn art jewelry throughout their 41-year relationship, nine of those legally married. ‍

Identity Is... was created for multifaceted creator and theater producer Jordan Roth to wear at The Metropolitan Museum of Arts’ Costume Institute Benefit—also known as The Met Gala—in 2021. A maximalist composition in which identity is a multifaceted creative act, the coat and its sweeping train are crafted from a textile collage of elaborately patterned fabric overworked with labor-intensive machine and handstitched beadwork. Layers of queer imagery and poetic text fragments are key elements in the work of genderqueer fiber artist, activist, and leader in arts education artist Sylvan.

Additionally, on June 20 and June 27, Sylvan will lead participants in evening workshops focused on art activism, healing, and collaboration designed to transform fear into action and service. More details forthcoming.

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Queering the Collection and Queer History Walks 2024 by The Whitney

The Whitney has a number of 2024 Pride activations, including Queering the Collection, a tour exploring gender, sexuality, and LGBTQ+ perspectives in Selections from the Whitney’s Collection, 1900–1965, and Queer History Walks 2024, free weekend walking tours of rich queer history of the Whitney Museum's neighborhood.