PRESS CONTACT:
Luke Perkins, Manager of Communications and Public Relations
303.866.3670 | luke.perkins@state.co.us 

“Rainbows & Revolutions honors the progress of the LGBTQ+ community and its pivotal journey over the past decades. Our experiences are part of the story of Colorado,” said Aaron Marcus, Gill Foundation Associate Curator of LGBTQ+ History at History Colorado and Emmy award-winning researcher. “As a historian, I feel a responsibility to preserve and pass along the stories of the LGBTQ+ community so we can all learn from and add to them. By using our voices to document what we’ve been through, we hope to pave a smoother path forward toward equality and full acceptance to become a truly inclusive and stronger community for everyone.”

Created in partnership with the Gill Foundation, and originally on display at the History Colorado Center in Denver, El Pueblo History Museum is the first stop for Rainbows & Revolutions on its trip to multiple locations around the state. Containing photographs and authentic artifacts drawn from the Gill Foundation LGBTQ Archives at History Colorado, this exhibition explores the defining acts of rebellion, self-expression and solidarity that saw Colorado transition from the “hate state” to electing the first openly gay Governor in just 30 years.

During its stay at El Pueblo History Museum Rainbows & Revolutions is expanding to incorporate objects from the Pueblo community which help highlight the experience of the LGBTQ+ Coloradans in the southern regions of the Centennial state.

“We are really excited to incorporate the local community into the exhibition and give the people of Pueblo an opportunity to see the work that activists and allies have done here since the early 1990s to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community,” said Dianne Archuleta, director of El Pueblo History Museum. “An example is the original banner from Pueblo After 2, an organization that was formed right here in Pueblo to raise awareness and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community after Amendment 2 was passed in 1992 and has since grown into the Southern Colorado Equality Alliance.” 

Rainbows & Revolutions will be on display in the free Community Gallery at the El Pueblo History Museum until March 2024. El Pueblo History Museum is open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

In recognition of Rainbows & Revolutions coming to Pueblo, the El Pueblo History Museum is hosting a public celebration on August 5, 2023, from 5 – 8 p.m. This free event features catered food, and remarks from local equality leaders as well as History Colorado staff.

Additional information about this opening celebration can be found here.

About The Gill Foundation
The Gill Foundation is one of the nation’s largest funders of efforts to secure full equality for LGBTQ people. Started in 1994 by software entrepreneur Tim Gill, the Gill Foundation supports nonprofit organizations across the nation that advance the rights of LGBTQ Americans by conducting research, educating the public, telling stories, and working within the legal system. In its home state of Colorado, the foundation also makes grants to organizations working to lower barriers to economic opportunity and create a place where everyone has equal opportunity to thrive. Visit GillFoundation.org for more information.

About El Pueblo History Museum
History Colorado’s El Pueblo History Museum is located at 301 N. Union Avenue in the heart of the city of Pueblo, part of the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk District and the Pueblo Creative Corridor. The museum stands on the site of the original El Pueblo trading post, constructed in 1842. The museum site features beautiful galleries, a gift shop, bookstore, gardens, an active archaeological dig, and a recreation of the 1842 adobe trading post. 
El Pueblo History Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.ElPuebloHistoryMuseum.org or call 719-583-0453.

Sobre El Pueblo History Museum
El Pueblo History Museum está en el centro histórico de Pueblo, en 301 N. Union Ave. El museo fue construido en el sitio original de El Pueblo, un puesto comercial del siglo XIX. El Pueblo es un museo de History Colorado.
El horario del museo es de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m., lunes a sábado. Para más información se puede visitar www.ElPuebloHistoryMuseum.org o llamar por 719-583-0453.

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 143-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado. 

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and 10 other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado