I might suggest looking at this from the perspective of a small local
history museum. Last year we installed an exhibit about the Northwest
Georgia Textile League of the 1930's and 40's. I avoided the issue of the
patrimonial nature of the textile mill villages knowing that we're just not
ready for that kind of controversy here. I was not prepared for the
controversy over a small thing. At least in my estimation it was small.
The league ended in 1949. However, when I said in the text that "World War
II slowed the league for several years and it never regained its popularity"
I was confronted by a surviving player who said they were just as popular as
ever. He was offended. These were great ballplayers; several went on to
the major league. They were all local heroes. But the fact remains that
the league never regained its pre-war status.
This small example illustrates the difficulty of presenting history about
folks who are still with us! Fortunately, the benefits far outweigh the
problems. We get folks involved with exhibits that may never have come to
the museum otherwise. And on opening night, they bring their families.
I think it's worth a mention in your class that controversy can occur with
the smallest, most innocuous exhibits!
Katie
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Katie Anderson
Museum Director
Rome Area History Museum
305 Broad Street
Rome, GA 30161
706-235-8051
cell 678-908-7751
fax 706-235-6631
[log in to unmask]
www.RomeHistoryMuseum.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
A new exhibit highlighting the efforts on the home front during WWII is now
open at the Rome Area History Museum. "World War II: The Home Front"
contains photos and artifacts from the 1940s that tell the story of this
transformational time. A video containing clips of oral history interviews
with local WWII veterans and civilians is on view in the exhibit.
As a partner of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, we are
coordinating an oral history project with World War II veterans and
civilians in northwest Georgia. It is vital that we preserve these stories.
Please contact the Museum to schedule interviews.
The oral history project and exhibit are supported in part by a grant from
the Georgia Humanities Council.
***********************************************************************
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Keni Sturgeon
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2005 5:21 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Controversial Exhibits and Videos
Hello all,
I have two separate and slightly related questions. I have been teaching an
introduction to museums course for the past three years. One of the
assignments I have students do is research and present on a Controversial
Exhibit or an ethical dilemma. This works well when my enrollment is down,
but the course is gaining in popularity and I'm running out of controversial
exhibits. I'm wondering what exhibits members of the list could suggest.
They are covering "Enola Gay", "Sensation", and "Old Glory, the American
Flag in Contemporary Art" as well as some controversial exhibit topics, such
as sex, Mapplethorpe, and displaying nudes. What other exhibits come to
mind?
Second, I am looking for suggestions for museum videos. Not videos with
museums, or videos by museums about their collections/exhibits, but videos
about a museum. I have one from The Heard Museum, which is great, and I
have some recordings from the PBS series "Great Museums" (some episodes are
helpful, others not so much). Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Keni Sturgeon
Jensen Arctic Museum
Western Oregon University
Monmouth, OR 97361
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help"
(without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|
