Amen. At 04:27 PM 1/22/98 -0500, you wrote: >My reply is short. To get back on the Enola Gay debate is like having to >sit and watch Bill Murray in Ground Hog Day. > >Len Hambleton - Objects Conservator >North Carolina Museum of History >5 East Edenton Street >Raleigh NC. 27601-1011 >[log in to unmask] >919-715-0200 x244 >"Information in the spirit of sharing,catch the wave!" > >Opinions expressed in this message may not represent the policy of my >agency > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: STUD Brent Stauffer [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] >> Sent: Thursday, January 22, 1998 4:09 PM >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Subject: Re: VANDALISING UNPOPULAR STATUES ETC. - using the >> pieces inmuseums >> >> I was wondering if the debate over putting a display that included the >> Enola Gay and other objects about the atomic bombimgs would also fit >> into >> this category. I would also like to hear what other people had to say >> about that exhibit. >> >> >> On Thu, 22 Jan 1998, Nicholson, Claudia wrote: >> >> > Harry Needham has raised an interesting point when he noted that the >> > museum gets accused of "glorifying" Hitler because they show the >> > decapitated head of a Hitler statue in the museum. >> > >> > I ran into the same problem in South Dakota. An exhibit of a Ku >> Klux >> > Klan robe brought a sharp response from some visitors, including one >> who >> > bothered to write her anger. She accused us of "glorifying" the >> Klan >> > because we showed the outfit. We thought that it would be good to >> point >> > out that the Klan was not simply an organization of the American >> > South--that it was active in the northern parts of the country too, >> and >> > in the case of South Dakota, went after foreigners and Catholics. >> > >> > Unfortunately, many visitors still think that what museums do is >> glorify >> > the past. Anything that we show, therefore, is out for the public >> to >> > see so that they might revel in the ever-upward spiral of >> civilization. >> > Although the context and explanatory labeling of any potentially >> > controversial object in a museum exhibit can very carefully show why >> the >> > object is not there to be glorified, if the visitor does not read >> the >> > label or pay attention to the context, they can make an incorrect >> > assumption. >> > >> > Once again, I will ask the question: how do museums really educate >> the >> > public to what we are trying to do? How do we get visitors in a >> > questioning frame of mind when they come through our doors? How can >> we >> > get them to question--and then seek to find the answer--when they >> see >> > something in our galleries that they think is inappropriate? How do >> we >> > get them to understand that, at least in history museums, we are >> tying >> > to talk about both the good and the bad of the past? >> > >> > Claudia J. Nicholson >> > Curator >> > Museum Collections Department >> > Minnesota Historical Society >> > 345 Kellogg Blvd. W. >> > St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 >> > Tel.: 612/297-7442 >> > FAX: 612/297-2967 >> > E-mail: [log in to unmask] >> > >> > > >> > > Deanna J. Kerrigan AASLH [log in to unmask]