Fine Arts Center Galleries, University of Rhode Island February 14— March 29
KINGSTON, R.I.– Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany sought domination over Europe and, in what is now called the Holocaust, the total annihilation of Europe’s Jews. As part of its effort to create a “master Aryan race,” the Nazi government persecuted other groups, including Germany’s homosexual men. Believing them to be carriers of a “degeneracy” that threatened the nation’s “disciplined masculinity” and hindered population growth, the Nazi state incarcerated in prisons and concentration camps tens of thousands of men as a means of terrorizing German homosexuals into social conformity.
Through reproductions of some 250 historic photographs and documents, “Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933–1945” examines the rationale, means, and impact of the Nazi regime’s attempt to eradicate homosexuality that left thousands dead and shattered the lives of many more.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America’s national institution for the documentation, study and interpretation of Holocaust history, and serves as this country’s memorial to the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust. This specific exhibition is curated by Edward J. Phillips, PhD, Deputy Director of the Division of Exhibitions at the Museum. Two years in the making, this is the first major exhibition on the subject for English-speaking audiences and draws on materials from more than 40 archives and other repositories in eight countries.
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s exhibition in Rhode Island has united diverse faculty and professional staff from across the University of Rhode Island and throughout the State, and will serve as a magnet for student participation and educational outreach.
It opens on February 14 at 7:30 pm with a guest lecture by Curator Edward J. Phillips, with commentary following by journalist Yehuda Lev and historian Robert Weisbord, both experts in Holocaust Studies.
The exhibition period concludes in late March with an ambitious Symposium sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Center at the University. The weeks in between are rich in educational programming, all open to the public without charge.
One highlight is a March 2, 2 pm lecture by Peter Neivert, son of a Holocaust survivor, who will address Nazi Kinder-transport. His remarks will be followed by a performance of the Providence Gay Men’s Chorus. See complete programming information below.
Partners for the exhibition and its programs at the University of Rhode Island are the Fine Arts Center Galleries; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Center; Hillel; Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs; and the Holocaust Education and Resource Center of Rhode Island.
Main Gallery hours:
Tuesday – Friday, 12 noon – 4:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
All Galleries are open to the public without charge, and donations are gratefully accepted.
To arrange group or after-hours tours of this special traveling exhibition please contact 401.874. 2775/9628 or facgalls@etal.uri.edu
For more information, please visit:
Hillel
GLBT Symposium
Art Galleries