Hall of Fame, or not?Maybe we should get a weigh-in from some staff members
from Halls of Fame that are on this list...
I think Halls of Fame certainly have their place; they are a different
animal and often suffer from a dismissive attitude. I've seen good, fun
Halls of Fame -- the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon, I do believe,
comes to mind (anywhere the B52s are honored has to be good) -- and some
that were struggling to find their niche and their momentum. They straddle
the line between attraction and museum. They are sometimes run by
volunteers and folks who are more skilled in the tourism industry than other
areas.
I would love to have the numbers the Baseball or Football Halls of Fame
generate...they are meccas for those who love the sports, and essential to
the preservation of heritage of the sports. And they are, as far as I know,
fine institutions also.
Candace Perry
(a former proud employee of the Kentucky Derby Museum)
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Claudia J. Nicholson
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 2:50 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Hall of Fame, or not?
I’ve been waiting for a response that struck a chord with me, so I’m
writing it myself.
It would be impossible to include in an exhibit all the Mississippians who
achieved anything in their artistic field--just impossible. And if you
happened to leave anyone out, you’d be in trouble. There a couple of things
you have to bear in mind when considering who to include: as David H.
rightly pointed out, you have to feature people from whom you have cool
collections—showing an author by showing her books would be dull stuff
indeed. But, if you have a marked-up manuscript of a well-known work, or a
garment that they were famous for wearing all the time, their typewriter, or
something else iconic, you would have a portion of a museum exhibit. Our
exhibits are supposed to be collections-driven—now this doesn’t mean that
you can only exhibit what you have, but you could do some targeted
collecting, or borrow from other institutions.
Second, consider who had the greatest impact, both in-state, and outside
of your state—who did something that made significant change? Who was
valued by well-known and well-understood measures? (Pulitzer, Tony, National
Book Award, Oscar, Grammy) Who succeeded against all odds? Who represents
the quintessential citizen of your state? These are some of the criteria
you can use for making your decisions. Just make sure that you can
adequately explain your reasoning for everyone that you select, because you
will surely be called to account for your choices.
If you ignore every famous person who ever called Mississippi home, you
will be criticized, and if you include some and not others, you’ll be
criticized. But in the end, visitors also love to see stuff from “famous”
people—something about our cult of celebrity here in the U.S. I guess.
I think that another responder is correct: this cries out for a book,
rather than an exhibit. Have you ever visited an actual Hall of Fame? They
are dreadful, except for the members of the congregation. They rarely tell
you anything much about the individuals honored, because the bulk of their
accomplishments are already understood by the insiders who selected them. I
’d rather read a meaty essay on someone’s accomplishments, with a few great
illustrations, than enter an exhibit space crammed full of famous (and not
so famous) faces, all of whom have accomplished something.
If you are able to do rotating exhibits, you might find a way to feature a
few individuals for, say, six months at a time, so you can always keep it
fresh, and respond to criticisms. That might work much better than
selecting an immutable subset of famous Mississipians.
You’re in a tough spot, no matter what you do, so just make sure you can
explain yourself in a good, 15-second sound bite!
Best wishes and good luck,
Claudia
--
Claudia J. Nicholson
Executive Director
North Star Museum of Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting
2640 E. Seventh Avenue
North St. Paul, MN 55109
651-748-2880
[log in to unmask]
Visit us on the web at www.NorthStarMuseum.org!
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