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Citation: 

Gosselin, Viviane. "Civic Museography, Porous Narratives and the Choir Effect: Sex Talk in the City at the Museum of Vancouver." THEMA. La revue des Musées de la civilisation 1 (2014): 107-16.

Abstract/Summary: 

Sex Talk in the City is a multifaceted and highly collaborative exhibition presented at the Museum of Vancouver in 2013. The project investigates how ideas about sexuality have shaped the city, and addresses questions of sexual health, diversity and education. Sex Talk in the City ties compelling historical narratives to current issues of sexuality, grounding them in the Vancouver context. It also examines how conceptions of sexuality materialize in ubiquitous ways in our lives, in the form of public events and spaces, laws, objects and images. The exhibition features diverse perspectives while highlighting issues and concerns often shared across age, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientations and expressions. The development of the project took more than two years and involved the participation of an 18-person advisory committee and 58 project “allies”. This paper situates Sex Talk in the City in the context of the recent re-visioning of the Museum of Vancouver and explains how theoretical analyses calling for more inclusive and reflexive museum practices inspired this exhibition project. 

Source/Credit: 
THEMA La revue des Musées de la civilisation