The New Mexico Holocaust & Intolerance Museum in Albuquerque has opened a new exhibit, marking the first time it has ever focused on LGBTQ+ issues. It was created by high school students, also a first for the museum.
The “Burque Pride” exhibit opened June 22 following a semester’s worth of work by students at La Cueva High School.
Ranging from sophomores to seniors, they were all part of Sharmila Goradia’s ethnic studies course. She contacted the museum about this potential opportunity and director of programs, Nathan Johnson, was happy to make it happen.
“It was a combination of learning about history that is underrepresented, but also doing it in a creative way to help the students learn,” he said.
The students picked their topic and did research about the struggles the LGBTQ+ community has faced over time, nationally and locally.
“If you see a history that you know, that you’ve grown up around, that isn’t represented in a school, this is your chance to really go in and do a deep dive into it,” said Johnson.
The students then worked with museum professionals, like Johnson, on every step of making the exhibit come to life.
“If they have a topic that they embrace, that they really care about, the quality of their work is exponential,” he said.
The student-created exhibit is part of the New Mexico Holocaust & Intolerance Museum’s arts-integrated curriculum.
Johnson says this is the first of many and the next student exhibit will go up during fall semester.
