The Legacy Project has announced that its acclaimed "Legacy Wall" will make its debut on Chicago's iconic North Halsted Street with a week-long engagement at Center on Halsted, June 27-July 3.
The display will occupy the upper level "Library" space adjacent to the John Baran Hall, off the second floor Walgreens Reception Area. Overlooking Halsted Street, the Legacy Wall will be visible from the street through the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the award-winning "Legacy Walk" outdoor LGBT History Museum—which is also run by the Legacy Project.
The Legacy Wall ( vimeo.com/159206365 ), a 24-foot long, 8-foot tall, and 6-foot deep double-sided "serpentine island," features 125 individual biographical and photographic elements commemorating the contributions LGBT people have made to world history and culture.
The exhibit, which is international and multicultural in focus, spans 4,000 years of recorded history, covers more than 20 individual fields of contribution, and features people from every walk of life. Each element on the Legacy Wall includes a Quick Response ( QR ) Code which, when scanned, brings the person to life with video and education resources to facilitate further exploration. It is the only traveling installation of its kind.
After a private preview last summer, the Legacy Wall made its public debut at the Illinois State Library in Springfield for LGBT History Month in October 2015. Since then it has been touring the State of Illinois. With eight completed stops so far on its calendar, mostly in Central Illinois, the Legacy Wall has been seen by more than 10,000 people—including two back-to-back installations at the recent Creating Change Conference at the Hilton Hotel and in the rotunda of the James R. Thompson State of Illinois Center downtown. The Legacy Project is currently negotiating the rest of the year's calendar while already planning to begin a national tour in 2017.
"Everywhere the Legacy Wall goes the response has been tremendous" said Victor Salvo, executive director and creator of the Legacy Project. "We had expected some people to be overwhelmed, but not the intensely emotional responses we have seen. Some people stay for hours on end. Some come back four and five times with friends and family. Some simply stand there and weep. It has been an eye-opening experience for everyone, especially the folks in Central Illinois who welcomed us with open arms. We are thrilled to finally be able to bring the Legacy Wall back to its home base since a tremendous amount of the planning and volunteer work required to build it took place at the Center on Halsted."
"June, national LGBT Pride Month, affords the perfect opportunity to honor our past in celebration of where we are headed," said Modesto Tico Valle, Center on Halsted CEO. "Our collaboration with the Legacy Project to host the Legacy Wall provides the chance to learn about LGBT history for individuals across the lifespan, from the young people to families and older adults who regularly use Center on Halsted."
The installation will be on display from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day throughout its viewing. Reservations are not required. It is free to the public.
