An exhibition coming to Bloomington-Normal brings a new perspective to the Harlem Renaissance

Photo courtesy of VisitBN

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – An exhibition called “The Harlem Renaissance: as Gay as it was Black” will be opening at Jazz Upfront, a Bloomington jazz bar, on Jan. 17.

The exhibition is a joint effort between the local organization, the Prairie Pride Coalition (PPC) and the national Stonewall Foundation.

According to PPC Board President Dave Bentlin, it’s no coincidence the exhibition comes just before Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month. The hope is to introduce more people to the LGBTQ community’s involvement in the renaissance.

“Many times, the Harlem Renaissance is chronicled in history books and there is very little mention of the LGBTQIA+ influence,” Bentlin said. “We thought this would be a good one to bring to Bloomington-Normal … to give people a different perspective on the history of the Harlem Renaissance.”

Bentlin says this is a new type of project for the organization. Although similar to their Pride Wall from last year, the exhibition is far more mobile.

This novel project is not the only thing on the horizon for PPC; the organization has even more plans for later in February.

“We are going to produce, with the Coalescence Theater Project, a cabaret around the Harlem Renaissance,” Bentlin said. “This will be a show that will feature some of the poetry, some of the readings from plays and some of the music from the people who were part of the queer community, and also helped shape the Harlem Renaissance.”

The exhibit will open at Jazz Upfront on Thursday, Jan. 17, at 5 p.m. After that, it will move around various locations in Bloomington-Normal until the end of February.