The GLBT History Museum in the Castro received a facelift and reopened last week with a remodeled main gallery and a brand-new show, Queer Past Becomes Present, which will be up for several months.
First, the space: The enlarged gallery feels bigger and more open and has greater flexibility. Walls have been painted dark grey and lighting updated and improved, making for a modernized environment conducive to dramatic presentations. Electronic media components have been enhanced, and will play a greater role in exhibitions going forward in the form of complex digital displays, video monitors and headsets for listening to film clips and excerpts from interviews. All of these upgrades are a must in a digital age where multiple platforms are expected, if not required, especially when it comes to attracting a younger demographic and maintaining the interest of an older one accustomed to sophisticated presentations on their phones and computers.