Exhibition focus on county’s older LGBT+ community
A photographic exhibition focusing on older members of the LGBT+ community in Shropshire is currently on display.
The LGBT+ Identity Collection is currently being exhibited at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery and at Theatre Severn.
Shropshire-based photographer, Ming de Nasty, was commissioned to lead a project with older LGBT+ residents of Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, to focus on identity and representation.
Ming has been working with Safe Age No Discrimination (SAND) and the arts organisation GRAIN Projects to create a study for part of an LGBT+ archive.
People over the age of 50, and part of the LGBT+ community, were invited to attend workshops and bring along photographs, photo albums, images or small objects that illustrate a story from their lives. Participants were then asked to share the story behind the item to provide an oral history for the project.
The project’s publication - featuring writing and pictures of the subjects - will be launched on Saturday, January 27.
Sal Hampson, director of SAND, said: “We are excited to be delivering this project with Ming de Nasty, the participants and GRAIN Projects.
"The process of taking part and the exhibition and publication outcomes will contribute to a future where lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin are fully integrated into the community.
"A community that values their experiences, meets their needs and offers appropriate personalised care as they age.”
On the exhibit, Robert Macey, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for culture and digital, said: “Ming’s photography offers a different perspective, with individuals expressing a confidence and sense of identity in their gaze and position.
"The portraits she creates are acclaimed and award-winning and speak of diversity and challenging stereotypes.”
