Out On An Island: An Untold Heritage (19th February – 31st July 2022) is an exhibition dedicated to LGBTQ+ heritage on the Isle of Wight.
From wearable history to historic publications, the memorabilia displayed in this exhibition is of historic importance for our Island’s LGBTQ+ heritage. The significance of such memorabilia is often underestimated; until very recently, being homosexual was illegal and so memorabilia was often destroyed or impossible to safely keep.
The exhibition features oral histories offering a new perspective on the Isle of Wight’s past and present, capturing honest and candid accounts of how people have dealt with social and political changes, as well as their internal struggles and triumphs they experienced. Jon Haben’s photographic portraits, skillfully reflecting each subject’s authentic selves.
The timeline on display charts a course through significant local and national events for the Island’s LGBTQ+ community and shows just how recent many of the community’s rights are. This newness and uncertainty of the right to live openly as an LGBTQ+ person is why Pride remains necessary for the LGBTQ+ community, ensuring that their existence is not forgotten or erased. This exhibition hopes to preserve LGBTQ+ history and heritage for the Island’s future generations.
© Jon Habens
Out on an Island exhibition video
Out On An Island – An Untold Heritage is the first ever project entirely dedicated to LGBTQ+ Heritage on the Isle of Wight, produced by StoneCrabs Theatre and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England through the Culture Recover Fund. The project has recorded 20 oral history interviews and researched archives, newspapers for factual items on the Island LGBTQ+ community for the past 100 years. The project has many outputs including an exhibition, workshops, a dedicated website, a documentary film, a play and a book.
Please note: This exhibition is housed in an upper room which is accessible only by stairs. Unfortunately, because the castle is a listed monument it is not possible to make adaptions to provide access to upper floors for those who have difficulty managing stairs.