If you saw the incident you would have seen that they did provide her with
gloves. Unfortunately that seemed to translate for her as okay to grab and
wave around the objects as long as she had the gloves on. I agree that
there should have been some object handling discussion/training prior to the
segment--but do you think the Oprah organization actually provided the
Smithsonian staff with the opportunity to do that? I wouldn't be surprised
if the Smithsonian staff hadn't had the opportunity to speak in person with
Ms. Winfrey until they were "on" and it was too late to stop her at that
point. These things should have been discussed and planned for before the
shoes ever left the museum. Maybe gloves should NOT have been provided to
non-staff members because it only encourages handling? Maybe the shoes
should have been kept in a plexi container so they could be seen but not
touched?
Jennifer
Jennifer Holt
Curator
Will Rogers Memorial Museums
P.O. Box 157
1720 West Will Rogers Boulevard
Claremore, Oklahoma 74018
t: 918.343.8124
f. 918.343.8119
www.willrogers.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Janzen, Mark
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 11:00 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] The Ruby Slipper incident
Although I agree her actions were inappropriate, I would not jump to blame
her quite so quickly. According to the transcript, she was definitely pushy
and presumptuous, as well as rude, but she IS Oprah after all.
Surely, after couriering the objects and being so careful with their
planning, they were aware that she might want to touch them. It was her
show, and to be honest(even though I do not like her much) she is a pop icon
as well. If it is not already, some of her stuff will end up in the
Smithsonian alongside the shoes, gloves, and jacket.
Should she have insisted on touching them? Absolutely not.
Should they have planned ahead and told her why she should not touch BEFORE
the interview segment? Absolutely yes.
They should have prepared better, provided her with gloves, then asked her
if she would like to touch them properly. That way the extreme honor of the
action would have been conveyed. Instead they chose to let her act like a
child, touch them anyway(improperly), and get away with acting the fool
while doing it.
Unfortunately the planners of the event, including the Smithsonian handlers,
are equally responsible for setting collection care in the eyes of the
public back a decade or two. I suspect it was the horrified collection
manger watching from the sidelines that Dr. Glass was looking to for
confirmation. It should have been the other way around.
Mark Janzen
Registrar/Collections Manager
Ulrich Museum of Art
Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection
316-978-5850
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Kevin Schlesier
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:19 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: The Ruby Slipper incident
Any Registrars out there going to write a letter to our friend Oprah
explaining why her actions were inappropriate:
http://www.originalprop.com/blog/?p=1496
"Do not arouse the wrath of the great and powerful Oz."
Kevin
--
Kevin P. Schlesier
Exhibits and Outreach Librarian
Special Collections Research Center
North Carolina State University Libraries
2205 Hillsborough Street
Campus Box 7111
Raleigh, NC 27695-7111
919-513-8087 (phone)
[log in to unmask]
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