I said I was exagerating; this discussion is certainly tapping into
emotions.  We're talking dress code guidelines here, not freedom of
speech nor individualism; certainly a twenty year old with green hair and
body piercings can contribute to museums, but that's not what we are
talking about.   And who said anything about age, or whether twenty-year
olds have a monopoly on wearing chains hanging from their ears?  What
inference do you get from a bright eyed person, that it's only twenty
year olds who are bright eyed?  They can be 18 or 75.  Give me a break.


Certainly you have a beef with "radical baby boomers" but I do believe
Generation X'ers were supremely inspired by baby boomer punk rockers.  I
don't care to patronize you, but you must understand that each museum has
its own quirks, and what works for an art gallery or art museum probably
won't work at a Presidential Library or at an Archives facility.  You may
find that a person with green hair and body piercings serving beer at a
rock concert could be the same one waiting tables at a White House state
dinner, following the dress code guidelines which each event entails.

Let's not get into a snit about what oldsters and youngsters may
contribute to museums, as far as I'm concerned if you have something
valuable and noteworthy to discuss then by all means offer it.  We have a
variety of people visiting the library; our main audience are people over
50, so we try to make them feel welcome and comfortable; you adjust to
your audience.  Governor Jesse Ventura was on hand yesterday to do a
lecture and book signing, and he certainly attracted people we don't
usually see here, mohawks, body piercings, and great Reform Party
language, and you know what?  They had a great time, we enjoyed their
conversation, and they were certainly great to us.


O

Olivia S. Anastasiadis, Curator
Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace
18001 Yorba Linda Boulevard
Yorba Linda, CA  92886
(714) 993-5075 ext. 224; fax (714) 528-0544; e-mail:  [log in to unmask]

On Fri, 28 May 1999 11:15:26 EST Manda Vranic
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
>     Olivia wrote:
>     "people coming to the museum certainly want to see a well
>groomed,
>     bright eyed person, not someone with chains hanging from their
>ears."
>
>     Why are you assuming your staff members and volunteeers cannot be
>     well-groomed and bright-eyed AND have chains hanging from their
>ears?
>     If you're trying to convince everyone under thirty that they have
>     nothing to contribute to or learn from museums, I can't think of
>a
>     better way than by telling them that their personal esthetic
>choices
>     are too threatening to "real" members of the museum-supporting
>     community.
>
>     We're always talking on this list about the need to reach out to
>new
>     audiences, be culturally sensititve, and encourage a view of
>museums
>     as dymanic and interesting places. Well, how about extending some
>     cultural sensitivity towards twenty-year-olds with pierced
>eyebrows or
>     green streaks in their hair? They have just as much to offer as
>you
>     radical baby boomers with your hair reaching so threateningly
>past
>     your shirt collars did thirty years ago.
>
>     Manda
>
>     Manda Vranic
>     Exhibit and Outreach Technician
>     City of Toronto Archives
>     [log in to unmask]
>
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