in short
I am an exhibit developer and public historian. I specialize in histories of LGBTQ+ people; HIV/AIDS; activists and social movements; and the politics of memory and memorials.
I’ve worked in cultural institutions since 2015 in archival processing, research, public programs, interpretation, project management, and exhibit development. My work has addressed city infrastructure, environmental causes, queer and trans activism, voting rights, food and drink, immigration, indigenous communities, the military, healthcare, private corporations, academic institutions, and more.
I have a passion for creating civically engaged work through a variety of creative formats like exhibits, zines, walking/bike tours, social media, and more.
I received my MA in Heritage Studies and Public History from the University of Minnesota and BA in American Studies from DePaul University.
more about me
I grew up just outside Dayton, Ohio with activist dreams. I started a short-lived gay-straight alliance at my small high school. The success of which was only hampered by the lack of gay participants. 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). When the archivist noticed my dedication as a volunteer to the institution and the community it served, 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 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. The confluence of my work and education inform my interdisciplinary approach to exhibit work and my goals of making history and science powerful tools to transform lives.
I moved to Minnesota for a graduate program with the goals of making complex LGBTQ+ histories accessible to public audiences, specifically for other LGBTQ+ people. 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 associate exhibit developer. I contributed to various exhibit projects in my short tenure, before being laid off due to COVID-19. I persisted over the next year and was rehired as a research historian. I was the lead developer and project manager of LGBTQ+ public history initiatives including digital maps 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. Through these experiences, I was able to navigate and lead a small team with few resources towards a successful project as well as leading a team through a larger project, with bureaucratic barriers, and collaborations across a large organization towards success.
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 exhibits and fun exhibits.
I also have a passion for material and print culture and popular culture. My concentration from undergrad in media studies has prepared me for weekly trivia nights at the bar down the street from me. My 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, the Scream franchise, or favorite local antique stores.
noah barth 