On September 18, 2018 at 09:00 CEST (UTC+2), Schwules Museum (Gay Museum) Berlin will launch its first official crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to fund an exhibition catalog for SMU’s upcoming exhibition RAINBOW ARCADE, the first exhibition on the history of LGBTQIA* video games.
The goal is to gather enough funding to pay for the production and international shipment of 1.000 copies, which amounts to 25.000 € (about $29.000). The campaign will run until October 18, 2018; the exhibition itself will open in Berlin on December 13, 2018 and run for six months until May 13, 2019.
If the campaign is successful, the catalog will be the first comprehensive introduction to queer gaming history. It will contain and present the extensive research behind RAINBOW ARCADE and the LGBTQ Game Archive and is designed as a stand-alone reading experience. Like the exhibition itself, it is meant as an appraisal and a contribution to our ongoing conversations on diversity, representation, discrimination and politics in popular culture.
This is why it will not only include a detailed exhibition directory featuring all games shown from 1985 to 2018 and supplementary texts, but also additional essays by and interviews with developers, artists and researchers. It is geared towards an international audience and will be published in English.
REWARDS
Supporters can back the project in a variety of ways. Depending on the pledged amount, supporters can choose from several limited rewards including a digital and physical copy of the catalog itself. Possible rewards include free museum tickets, social media avatars, some of the last copies of the successful crowdfunded board game Consentacle as well as private group tours with the curators. International shipping is included for all rewards.
During gamesweekberlin 2019, we are planning to have an exclusive get-together for supporters who can get their copy of the catalog signed. Everyone who has ordered a physical copy can choose to pick it up there instead of getting it shipped.
TEAM
RAINBOW ARCADE is curated by Sarah Rudolph (herzteile.org), Jan Schnorrenberg (Schwules Museum) and Dr. Adrienne Shaw (Temple University, LGBTQ Game Archive). The crowdfunding campaign is supervised by Iliane Kiefer. Nicolas Simoneau (KALTBLUT Magazine) is in charge of the exhibition and publication design.
PARTNERS
The exhibition itself is funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe and under the patronage of Dr. Klaus Lederer, Senator for Culture and Europe of Berlin.
RAINBOW ARCADE is an exhibition project by Schwules Museum, Temple University and Computerspielemuseum (Video Game Museum, Berlin), who support the exhibition as scientific advisors and provide some of the exhibits, research and technical know-how. RAINBOW ARCADE is an official part of gamesweekberlin 2019 (8 – 14 April 2019). Additional partners are Booster Space, Jugend im Museum e.V. and Feminist Frequency.
Official media partners are SIEGESSÄULE, L.MAG, exberliner, BerlinGameScene.com and KALTBLUT Magazin.
PRESS CONTACT
Jan Schnorrenberg
Tel.: +49 (0)30 69 59 92 52
Mail: jan.schnorrenberg@schwulesmuseum.de