Focus on... ‘The Secret Public’ exhibition – How LGBTQ+ Performers Shaped Popular Culture

<p dir="ltr">Focus on... talk presented at Together24: The University of Manchester Library Staff Conference 2024 on Wednesday 12th June 2024.</p><p dir="ltr">This talk introduces ‘The Secret Public’, the inaugural exhibition in the refurbished Rylands Gallery space: opening in Spring 2025. ‘The Secret Public’ examines the profound influence of LGBTQ+ performers, artists and activists on mainstream pop culture.</p><p dir="ltr">Using the book ‘The Secret Public - How LGBTQ Performers Shaped Popular Culture 1955-1979’ by Jon Savage as a basis and influence, the exhibition utilises and presents key pieces from Savage’s extensive archive and research materials.<br></p><p dir="ltr">The exhibition pulls in supporting material from our Special Collections and further afield to present a story of queer culture moving from the margins to the mainstream, changing the face of global pop culture forever.</p><p dir="ltr">Mark-Taylor Hutchinson, Reader Services Assistant</p><p dir="ltr">Mat Bancroft, Curator (British Pop Archive)</p>