The Practice of Simultaneously Curating Physical and Virtual Exhibits to Resist Against Institutional Memory Loss

Institutional memory, particularly on university campuses, is difficult to maintain. Preserving the institutional memory related to the activism, work, and community building done by marginalized communities, such as LGBTQ2S+ communities, is important to protect the communities’ histories, maintain the strides these communities have made, and inspire ongoing activism. I argue that curating exhibitions simultaneously in physical and virtual spaces as a public history practice relieves some of this burden on individuals having to maintain institutional memory and works to overcome some of the root causes of institutional memory loss. In addition to discussing the specific case study of the LGBTQIA2S+ McGill Student, Faculty, and Staff Activism physical and virtual exhibitions, this article includes guidelines for other institutions.