Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) is getting ready to showcase its new exhibit, "Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement," in which viewers can travel through time as they engage and learn about the history of LGBTQ+ rights, up until present day.

The exhibit will be open from June 26 until September 12, 2021, and highlight local artists and activists.

The exhibit will be one of the MoPOP's firsts. "Exhibits require so much planning beforehand that this is the first time we've done a Pride exhibit," said curator Amalia Kozloff. Museum showings can be fairly time consuming to plot out and to put into motion, and they include steps such as budgeting, designing, and obtaining artifacts, as well as technological preparation for the big debut.

"Rise Up" is part of the Newseum's traveling exhibits; its tour schedule includes not only Seattle's MoPOP but also the Pink Palace family of museums in Memphis, TN; the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie; and the Dallas (TX) Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. Newseum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, focuses on increasing the public's understanding of First Amendment rights: freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition.

"[The Newseum] had really dug into this idea of how Stonewall was really a watershed moment for the modern civil rights movement for LGBTQIA+ Americans," explained Kozloff, who went on to describe how the exhibition shows "how representation builds through narratives, and how the LGBTQIA+ community and pop culture have really influenced each other."

Spurred on by gay San Francisco politician Harvey Milk in 1978, Gilbert Baker, who called himself the "gay Betsy Ross," created the rainbow flag, now an international symbol of gay pride. Today's flag has six stripes. Baker signed this version of the original eight-color flag at the top. Loan, Mark Segal, LGBT pioneer, Publisher Philadelphia Gay News

This sign was used by protesters who supported the Supreme Court's repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013. The 1996 law defined marriage as between a man and a woman, denying same-sex couples equal protection under the law. Newseum collection/Gift, Zoe Duncan-Doroff, Sam Duncan-Doroff and Theresa Christensen

Camera store owner Harvey Milk became California's first openly gay elected official in 1977 when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Newseum collectio

According to Kozloff, the exhibit is full of historical Queer artifacts, including a magazine that dates back to 1953; visual elements such as films and audio recordings; and artifacts from local activists and artists, including costumes worn by the Seattle rock band Thunderpussy.

Kozloff described the Seattle-based portion of the exhibit as "a wall of local trailblazers," which will not only contain quotes but also be somewhat interactive. About 28 will be represented; in particular, Seattle-based artist Ellen Forney will have her original artwork displayed in a comic book section of the exhibit.

"It's important to give our visitors that historical narrative and deep dive to understand how we got to the place we're at today, and the work that still needs to be done," explained Kozloff.

At the end of the show, approximately 27 local organizations will be categorized into sections such as the arts, healthcare, and activism. Visitors will be given resources on how to contact the organizations, and how they can become more involved.

"We are part of the Seattle community, and we are really dedicated to representing the Seattle community, and part of that is telling the LGBTQIA+ story," said Kozloff.

For tickets to MoPOP's "Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement," exhibition, visit www.mopop.org/visit/museum-tickets.