in short
I am an exhibit developer and public historian. I work in topics across the spectrums of history and science. I am particularly passionate about histories of LGBTQ+ people; HIV/AIDS; activists and social movements; popular culture; and cities.
I’ve worked in cultural institutions since 2015. I’ve conducted research, processed archival collections, organized public programs, managed projects, and developed exhibits.
My work addresses city infrastructure, environmental causes, queer and trans activism, voting rights, food and drink, immigration, indigenous communities, the military, healthcare, academic institutions, and more.
more
I grew up just outside Dayton, Ohio with activist dreams. I started a short-lived gay-straight alliance at my small high school. My interest in museums, arts, history, and society was also strong. Prior to moving to Chicago, I interned at the Dayton Art Institute, with elementary school-aged learners for a summer art camp.
When I moved to Chicago for undergrad, I sought out more opportunities both in activism and museums. I became president of the queer activist organization on campus, later organizing an LGBTQ+ college conference with over 2,000 attendees. I continued my career in museums at the Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M). There, I began my experiential learning in archives. In a few short years, while I earned my bachelor’s degree, I processed a handful of collections, executed public programs, and represented the museum at their largest fundraiser of the year in front of thousands of people for their 25th anniversary. This experience instilled in me the value of investing in dedicated people and the importance of community engaged history.
In addition to working at LA&M, I worked part time at the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois as an executive assistant. And later, as an HIV counselor and tester at Lurie Children’s Hospital. In my education and at the museum I was exploring topics of HIV criminalization and the history of sexuality. I was using these experiences to inform my practice as a sexual health counselor and vice versa. This confluence of public health and history informs my interdisciplinary approach to exhibit work and my goals of transforming lives through informal education.
I moved to Minnesota for a graduate program. While pursuing my master’s, I developed two exhibits for the University of Minnesota and a documentary film. The first exhibit explored the stories of people who impacted the College of Liberal Arts over its 150-year existence. The other exhibit explored Minnesota’s first gay liberation organization (FREE: Fight Repression of Erotic Expression), while the documentary explored the personal stories of its founders.
In 2019, I began with the Minnesota Historical Society as an exhibit developer. I contributed to various exhibit projects in my short tenure, before being laid off due to COVID-19. A year later, I was rehired as a research fellow. I led the development of multiple LGBTQ+ public history initiatives: a digital story map of historic LGBTQ+ sites in collaboration with Twin Cities Pride and the Historical Society’s first exhibit dedicated to LGBTQ+ history, at Mill City Museum in June 2023.
Now, in my role at the Science Museum of Minnesota, I develop experiences both for SMM and for museums across the country. I collaborate with clients, designers, fabricators, and media developers to create meaningful and fun exhibits.
I also have a passion for material and print culture and popular culture, both in and out of work. My trivia team, Jamie Lee Curtis Sponsored AcTRIVIA, usually succeeds at placing in the top three. I’ve also been a captain of both my kickball and dodgeball teams with Stonewall Sports since 2019. At any given time, I’m ready to talk about Bravo shows, horror movies, or favorite local antique stores.
noah barth 