Going Out, Coming In: A Celebration of LGBTQIA+ History at the Quatrefoil

Join Quatrefoil Library and the Minnesota Historical Society in a journey back in time to the LGBTQIA+ community spaces of Downtown Minneapolis and its evolution from the 1940s to 2000!

Enjoy conversations, community performances, and interactive art as participants explore the traveling exhibit, Going Out, Coming In: LGBTQ+ Spaces in Downtown Minneapolis. Experience stories of love, resistance, and queer joy. This event is in partnership with Quatrefoil Library and will take place at the library.

The Quatrefoil Library opened in 1986 as a fulfillment of a dream of David Irwin and Dick Hewetson. Their idea of starting a lending library emerged out of growing interest by friends and community members in their collection of gay-themed books – a collection they’d gathered since the mid 1970’s.

The library stands as a gathering point for the local queer community since its founding. Over time it grew and diversified its collection and became a cultural hub and meeting space for the LGBTQIA+ community in Minneapolis/St. Paul and beyond. The library hosts meetings, book author readings, and countless clubs and supports community members in building deeper connections with each other and the wider queer ecosystem.

Countless organizations frequent the library, and the library continues to find new ways to broaden its engagement and partnerships in the community. Quatrefoil has become more than just a library. Yet, one core intention remains the same: to be a refuge, a place where queer folks are safe and proud to be who they are. To learn more, visit the Quatrefoil Library page.

Host or Publisher Minnesota Historical Society