Travels through history

Sept. 11 2001

2011-09-11T14:30:00.001-07:00

How do you explain history of an event just ten years old to younger children?

Those now in school were not yet born or too young to remember what happened on September 11, 2001. I have not seen recent history books for school students, but it is likely that this event is not covered until the end of the chronology if at all. What can you do to help a generation raised on phrases "9/11," "terrorism," "extremists," and other related phrases? How do you link this event to what has happened since?

In my thesis (on an unrelated topic) I indicated that children are capable of understanding more than they are often given credit for, but it has to be presented in a manor they can understand. For that project I gave mostly books relating to segregation as examples, but I have recently discovered another, aired on a major commercial television station of all places, and mostly devoid of the sensational photographs and voyeurism of the events of the day. Those of us that are my age (and our parents) may remember a fairly regular series on Nickelodeon called Nick News, which at the time covered everything from President Clinton's sex life (in the middle of the Lewinsky affair) to segregation. Because of all the confusion for small children around the 10th anniversary, Nick News has returned (as it does from time to time) with a special half hour broadcast.

Ellerbee and Nick News have developed a program that covers the facts without punditry or sensationalism. It puts into "conversation" (I use quotes because this special does not have the gathering of people face to face that many Nick News episodes did) children today with both experts including the former chief of the 9/11 Commission, a former assistant secretary of DHS, among others including Ari Fleischer. To put the tragedy in ways that kids might understand without showing the horrible pictures of burning towers and people jumping (no mention of the latter is even made) it starts with the experiences of real teenagers, who when they were 7-10 years old, lived or went to school in the shadow of the WTC.

Although it does not show pictures, it has children (scripted or not) ask tough questions, and answered by the experts mentioned before. These questions include the root of terrorism, and the basics of why the U.S. attacked Afghanistan, and what motive that the terrorists had for attacking.

It even covers the invasion of Iraq and the intelligence debacle (please note that I am not commenting on the need for the war, but simply the consensus that the intelligence was wrong). The special even covers the alternative to Osama Bin Laden and terrorists method of regime change, the mostly peaceful revolution in Egypt.

The full special is available free via Nick-on-Demand and also free through I-tunes. Below is a sneak peek of the video, opening with a series of myths about the event. The full special starts with Ellerbee exhorting children to get their parents and siblings and watch together, and then discuss.

The special is important, but it is the discussion afterward, using information and the q&a from the special as a starting point, each child will probably have their own fears and questions about what should we do now?

2010-11-17T00:54:00.000-08:00

The “First Person Museum” is an interactive multimedia museum devoted to telling the story of people and their objects. The museum was developed by First Person Arts, a Philadelphia area organization dedicated to converting the “drama” of life into memoir and documentary. Assistance in this project was provided by various community organizations throughout the Philadelphia region. The museum is hosted by the Pained Bride Art Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s Old City district. Like most history museums, the First Person Museum focuses on objects of value and importance; but there is an interesting twist. Value and importance are relative terms here; they are specific to the object’s owner. First Person Arts claims that the museum is unique, the first to tell exclusively the stories of everyday people through objects that have special meaning to them.

The First Person Museum has five goals, many of which reflect the mission of First Person Arts. These goals are for visitors to realize that objects are more than commodities, that visitors endow objects with value. The story and the person are the focus of the exhibit (and not the object). First Person Arts wants visitors to connect with and react emotionally to the stories on display. They want visitors to realize that meaning is contingent, based on time, place and experience. The final objective is that visitors will think about their own objects differently. The goals work together to create an active provocative museum experience. However in order to be achieved they require the active participation of the visitor—this is not a place for those looking for a passive museum experience. The goals must be inferred from thinking about the stories.[1]

History in the First Person Museum has an interesting context. The primary mode of history is “personal history,” it is called “story” by First Person Arts. Thematic histories of the objects also appear in the exhibit, in sections entitled “a little bit of history.” Each of these “bits” focuses on theme in the history of the object. For example “Shanise’s rhino” has a caption discussing drug promotions, as that was what the stuffed rhinoceros originally was, while “Kathy’s Pendant” has a caption that discusses the cultural implications of the object. These captions feel a little extraneous at times. First Person Arts has placed the emphasis of the museum on interpreting the story of the owner, leaving history to take a secondary and hard to define role. Although their role is vague—especially in museum’s goals—they add another layer of complexity to the stories and help people understand the greater value of things.

The museum contains about eighteen objects from “everyday people” throughout the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Various community organizations held “story circles” where representatives from First Person Arts recorded the stories of community members. The eighteen or so stories that ultimately were chosen intentionally target a broad range of themes and the authors are from a variety of socio-economic groups. Objects serve as the catalyst for interpretation in this museum. Each tells an important story about the present owner—many (but not all) of the stories involve the connection between the present owner and the object’s previous owner/owners. These stories are told in many different forms of media, some are video (shot by David Kessler), some are audio (recorded by Samara Freemark), some include photographs (shot by J.J. Tiziou) and some are just text panels (written by Diana Marder); all the stories are told as monologues.[2]

The exhibit’s design is interesting. Instead of standard museum cases—which can be very expensive—the exhibit utilizes used furniture. The furniture pieces are arranged in various “domestic vignettes” with the object placed in a location they could appear in the home. For example, “Yari’s baby clothes” are in an open dresser drawer and “Shanise’s rhino sits on a baby rocking chair. This sort of in situ display evokes a sense of domestic tranquility. Objects like Yari’s baby clothes only reinforce the notion of domesticity. However not all the objects reinforce this, some jolt the visitor’s emotions, fulfilling that difficult to achieve goal of the museum. For example, on a coffee table lies an unfinished hand-knit sock owned by Beth. The visitor finds that “Beth’s sock” once belong to Beth’s friend who died of cancer. The sock was given for Beth to finish in memory of her lost friend. Even more “jolting” is “Carla’s Wedding Ring”. At first glance Carla’s wedding ring is unobtrusive, sitting in a jewelry box on an end table. But when the visitor picks up the headphones to listen to Carla, they find that this is more than a simple wedding ring. The story the rings tells is one of abuse and divorce, not a happy marriage that the placement might suggest.

The museum is fairly well designed, but has several issues. The majority of these problems stem from the space of the Painted Bride. The most egregious is that the building is not handicapped accessible. The main exhibit space is also quite small, which means that several objects could not be displayed in the main room. The exhibit continues in a side room without warning or continuity (if designed differently this side room might actually serve as a better home for the exhibit as a whole). Most of the main exhibit space is organized with a central aisle dividing the objects. However midway through the exhibit there is a “living room” that obstructs the central aisle and pushes circulation to a walkway on the side. This would not be extremely problematic, except that there is a split display for Carla’s ring directly at this spot. A table on one side of the walkway has the object, while the interpretive text is on the wall on the other side. Not only is this confusing to understand Carla’s ring, forcing one to step across the walkway to see all the parts of the display, it adds to the congestion at this location.

Upstairs in an underutilized loft space is a television that airs all the video stories that are in the exhibit (also available downstairs) and more importantly postcards to “tell us your story.” Here is where the exhibit tries to share some authority with the visiting public—instead of just the “everyday” people whose objects are on display. The visitor can tack this story to the wall above the desk, and many of these will be published online at the museum’s website. There is one difficulty with the comment cards, next to where the visitor writes their own story is a check-off list of themes it can fit in. Although most object stories could conceivably fit the categories provided (they are extensive), not all could, and it quite literally boxes one into a corner. Object stories can also be entered directly on the museum’s website.

The exhibit has one last issue. The stories can be stereotypical, and the in situ display nor the exhibit interpretation helps—especially if the visitor does not fully understand the exhibit. For example, the story involving “Catalina’s pan” (a type of pan known as a cardero and is common to Hispanic countries) discusses Catalina’s experience as an immigrant. A more dangerous stereotype occurs with “Renee’s boxer shorts”. Renee is an African-American woman whose son was convicted of multiple drug felonies. Her story only serves to augment the stereotype that all African-American men are drug dealers, and aspire to nothing more. Of the issues with the exhibit, this is the most intractable and hardest to compensate for, although it does happen somewhat. Renee’s son eventually “straightens out” and becomes a productive member of society. One can only hope that the visitor does not generalize these stories to an entire socioeconomic group—the museum does not encourage this in any way.

Despite its flaws the First Person Museum is a poignant reminder of the relationships that people have with objects. It is a demonstration of what value can mean in different circumstances to different people. This museum provides a refreshing and interesting twist on the history museum. While it is not for those seeking the jewels of power and fame, or a passive museum experience; those looking for an active experience in an experimental museum dedicated to the people, should attend.

[1]Seth Bruggeman, “Revised Exhibit Goals”, Wednesday October 6, 2010, http://studiesinamericanmaterialculture.blogspot.com/2010/10/revised-exhibit-goals.html.

[2] “About the First Person Museum”, accessed November 16, 2010, http://www.firstpersonmuseum.org/home/about.

2010-10-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

About Drug Promotions

Shanise’s stuffed rhino originally would have a coat with “Rhinocort” emblazoned on the front. The rhino was a medical promotional toy given free to doctors and hospitals to help sell the drug Rhinocort. This promotional method was voluntarily stopped by the drug industry in 2009, but similar practices remain today.

Written by Steven Greenstein

About Value

Stuffed animals can either be hand-crafted or machine produced. This stuffed rhinoceros was machine produced as free promotional product and therefore has little monetary value. The value of stuffed animals lies in the relationship between the owner and the animal, and is different for every person.

Written by Steven Greenstein

About stuffed animals

Stuffed animals have been machine produced since the 1880’s and can be hand-crafted or machine produced. Shanise’s rhino is machine produced at low cost. Stuffed animals can be used by children and adults, for different purposes. They can be decorative, items of emotional comfort, educational toys, and more!

Written by Steven Greenstein

About Stuffed Animals

Stuffed animals are also known as “plush toys” and have been manufactured since the 1880s. They can be either machine-made or hand sewn. Stuffed animals became popular with the introduction of the “teddy bear” in the early 1900s. Today all sorts of stuffed animals are common in children’s toy collections.

Written by Steven Greenstein

exhibit design

2010-09-27T19:33:00.001-07:00

Today I am offering my own hypothetical design plan of the First Person Museum exhibit. It will be based on materials produced by First Person Arts. For a base I have used Alice Parman’s “Exhibit Makeovers: Do-it-yourself Exhibit Planning”, from the AASLH.

Step 1a. Mission

Every object has many stories hiding just below the surface. (Note: History is just another story in this mission)

1b take home ideas

Objects mean different things to different people

Wow! I didn’t know you could learn that from an object.

First Person Arts cares about everyday stories.

1c storyline

The First Person Museum tells the story of the hidden meaning of objects. A seemingly ordinary everyday object can tell powerful stories; about the owner and about history.

Step 2 Organize into thought process.

The objects will be exhibited by category as much as possible. They are organized into three areas. These are clothing, accessories (both jewelry and toys), and kitchen/office. For the clothing, a handmade item is juxtaposed with a machine made one, subconsciously saying that equally important stories can come from machine or hand (the comparison will not be discussed in the exhibit). The theme throughout will be about hiding (objects and stories).

Step 3. Inventory the most important facts

The most important fact is that there is no single “true” story. Equal billing will be given to both the history, and the personal story of an object.

Step 4 Engage and Motivate

Whenever possible interactive questions will be used before the story or history is seen. On the top panel, enough information will be given to speculate the answer to the question. A flip-up panel would then be used, giving the answer at the top, followed by the story.

My other idea is a series of interactive areas. As much as I would like to have the audience interact with the objects on display, I realize that most are not “bullet-proof” and would not hold up. Instead the interactive areas will contain replicas of the items on display, similar items to encourage play, as well as photos and videos of the object.

A third element is a “make your own story”. A visitor could chose to have their own “take home” version of the exhibit. A photo will be taken, the personal story entered on a computer, and during certain hour an expert will be there to provide a research component.

Step 5 “Look and Feel”

This museum will have a playful feel of discovery to it. Each item will be in a place you might conceivably find it outside a museum (a few are a stretch). Many objects are hidden away, and the visitor must “discover” the object before discovering the story.

Step 6

Blueprint is embedded below. Made with floorplanner.

Note: I must give credit where credit is due (although I didn’t realize I was borrowing them until the end). Parts of this exhibit idea are borrowed from elements of “It Sprang From the River: Everyday Items with Maritime Secrets” at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.

Cultural context

2010-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Stuffed animal play a large part in American society, and have for at least 100 years. Although they came to the field later than dolls, they play a similar role in childrens’ play and the collectibles market. A stuffed animal can be a friend, a learning tool, a squishy pillow, or just an interesting ornament. A stuffed animal is whatever you make it.

Stuffed animals are everywhere and in every size. The can be tiny (like a beanie baby) or they can huge (like the whole menagerie of larger-than-life animals at the entrance to FAO Schwarz). They range from imaginary animals, like Barney and his friends, to the ever popular teddy bear, and of course a rhinoceros. Almost any animal can become a stuffed animal.

Perhaps the most interesting story with stuffed animals is that of the Teddy Bear. This early phenomenon is one of the few times that a stuffed animal entered the political arena. The teddy bear is named after President Theodore Roosevelt, a popular and charismatic politician from around 1900 with a reputation for being an outdoorsman. While

on a hunting trip, he refused to shoot the bear cub that had been provided for him. This led cartoonist Clifford Berryman to create a cartoon about TR refusing to shoot a baby bear. Capitalizing on the interest in the cartoon, the Michtom family began producing the first “Teddy’s Bears” for sale based on the cute cartoon bear. Across the ocean, and unaware of the craze, the Steiff company was also making its first baby bears, and the style wasn’t selling in Europe. Once they heard of the craze, Steiff began naming its bears accordingly. (For more visit this website about the history of teddy bears.)

Today teddy bears are still the most popular stuffed animal. You can even stuff your own at the Build-a-Bear workshop that is in many shopping malls. Even when stuffed animals were expensive, children still played with them, the example I gave last week of A A. Milne is proof enough. The stories for the Winnie-the-Pooh were based on experiences that Christopher Robin Milne had with this handcrafted bears.

I have already touched on the need for imagination in stuffed animal play, and how TV can encourage this. But not only have stuffed animals spawned TV shows and movies, but these programs have also spawned their own lines of stuffed animals. Every Disney movie and TV show has its own collection of stuffed animal.

Stuffed animals remain popular today, as both a toy and a collectible, some series are collected like posters and classic toys, to be displayed, not played with. A good example of this phenomenon was the Beanie Baby craze in the 1990’s. People would rush the stores looking for the latest Beanie Baby and would often just put it on a shelf. Others collect a bunch of different stuffed animals, almost to excess.

Stuffed Animals have a varied life in popular culture, ranging from political props, to toys, to items on a shelf. One thing is clear, they are an integral part of life for people of all ages.

2010-09-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

This week I am changing gears slightly. Last week I discussed the history of both stuffed animals and promotional items, but due to length constraints, I will only be focusing on stuffed animals from here. The reason I have chose this path is that if one hundred years from now an archeologist found Shanise’s stuffed rhino, they would have no idea that it was a promotional item, all the distinguishing markings of that life are gone. However, they would probably be able to determine that it is a stuffed animal.

The journey of the rhino

2010-09-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

Today I am describing the history behind Shanise’s stuffed rhinoceros. Her rhino is around fifteen years old, and lacks any sort of descriptive markings, the name of the manufacturer on the label is also difficult to read. However, thanks to Sara Karpinski and E-Bay I now know the origin of this stuffed animal. It was produced by a company named “It’s All Greek to Me” (IAGTM) as a promotional item for Rhinocort, a brand name for Budinosol, produced by Astra AB (now AstraZeneca Co). Astra AB distributed these rhinos probably at no cost to doctors and hospitals, who in turn gave them to patients and their families, also probably at no cost. Shanise’s (and Sara’s) story confirms that the object was received from a hospital while recovering from a major illness. So although Shanise is the only end-user of the product, the chain of distribution described above has its own use.

This sort of object has two uses, one by the company who ordered them, and another by the end user. Astra AB used that model of stuffed rhino to plug their product to the doctor, who would hopefully remember their brand of Budinsol when he/she needed to prescribe it. Promotional items have been a part of the landscape since around 1789—when commemorative buttons were distributed celebrating George Washington’s election as President of the United States. Today they are a common practice by many corporations—especially the pharmaceutical industry. (See more here, members of the Temple University network can also see more here.)

Shanise, as the end owner of the object, has a different use for it. It was given to her as an item of emotional comfort in a time of need, something that is a common use for stuffed animals. When I picked up the rhino at First Person Arts, I could feel how such a cuddly toy could be a comfort in a time of need (knowing it was a cheap promotional toy, I expected it not to be that soft and comfy). Children will usually give some sort of imaginarily life force to these animals so that they are comforted while in the hospital, and then often serve as a reminder of how well the child recovered.

Stuffed animals are often used for comfort objects, but most of the time they are given at a time when the child does not need comfort, just something to play with. Since their manufactured inception around 1880 (Steiff corporation claims to have made the first ones then) they have been used as imaginative playthings. The proof of this exists in most children’s past, but also in popular culture. Watch Barney, or read Winnie the Pooh and you can see how advanced stuffed animal play can be.

Although IAGTM no longer makes a stuffed rhino (there is no rhino listing on their website that I could find), they still make many stuffed animals as promotional objects, indicating that the practice of using stuffed animals to promote products remains today. Next week will be more on how stuffed animals have been used in popular culture.

2010-09-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

I finally saw Shanise’s stuffed rhino in person, and it looks basically the same as the picture, The only thing I need to change from last week is the age of the object. It is actually closer to thirteen years old. I can also add that it was definitely made in China, but the tag was too worn to make out the material.

permission granted

2010-09-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

I received permission to post a photo of Shanise's stuffed rhino. This picture was taken by Shanise herself, and looks like it is from the headboard of her bed (as the decorations and curve suggest), or some other small shelf.

Object Description

2010-09-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

The object I have been given to work with is a gray stuffed rhinoceros belonging to a female named Shanise. I have not yet seen this object in person, so my information to a side-view photograph, at this moment I do not even know the brand or manufacturing information. This object history has been informed to some degree by the work of Jules David Prown, specifically his essay “Mind in Matter: An introduction to Material Culture Theory and Method (a piece in Material Life America, 1600-1860, ed. Robert Blair St. George, Boston, Northeastern University Press, 1988)

The size of the object appears to be fairly small; although the photograph is a close-up, I am basing this fact on that the rhino is on a shelf. The rhino is only wearing a gray hat or headband of some kind, and also a net to catch butterflies. There are seams halfway along each of the arms, legs, and chest, and also around the horns. A story from the owner also indicates that at one point the rhino had other clothing, and butterflies in the net. This picture will be posted as soon as I receive permission to do so from First Person Arts.

At this point I can only speculate on the manufacturing process, but since the animal is likely machine-sewn. Two layers of fabric are placed on a table or other cutting surface, and a pattern is used to cut the shape of the rhino. A machine then sews the two sides of the fabric together with the inside out. A hole is left to facilitate stuffing the animal and turning the fabric to the proper side. Cotton, polyester, down, or some other similar “fluffy” substance is used to stuff the animal. This is done with the use of a special machine that makes the stuffing extra fluffy by blowing air into it and rotating it around. After the proper amount of stuffing is worked into the animal, the hole is closed, and various accessories attached. In the case of Shanise’s rhino, an eye or eyes are attached (often by some sort of glue), the horns are attached (they are of a darker gray), and the butterfly catcher is affixed to an upper leg. (For more information on stuffed animals, albeit homemade ones, see http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/how-to-make-a-dog-stuffed-toy-8270.html).

Stuffed animals are an item that can either be art or diversionary under Prown’s categories. Like humanoid dolls, they can serve an ornamental purpose—especially the more expensive ones. However stuffed animals usually invoke an emotional response like diversionary objects, usually during play if the child (or adult) imbibes them with some sort of imaginary life force (like these YouTube videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BoPJczEaRg&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LNtwjspUSM). Most value in such an animal is attached, cotton stuffing and fabric are usually cheap (http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/catalog_items.aspx?TypId=514), and stuffed animals serve no intrinsic need to human survival.

Most of this is based on what I know for certain to be fact, although some is speculation, this object description will be updated if and when I have the ability to see the object.

new semester new direction

2010-09-07T12:20:00.001-07:00

Hello all who read this blog

Beginning now this blog will again serve a class purpose. I am participating in a new public history course at Temple University, Studies in American Material Culture. We are working with First Person Arts on their First Person Museum project, you can read more here. Please join me as I explore the history of Shanise's stuffed rhino, a picture will be forthcoming (I am awaiting permission from FP Arts to post it).

Also one little housekeeping note. I do not want to have to moderate the comments on this blog, I have added a word verification step to try and prevent spam. I will also remove insults and other non-constructive criticism, but welcome constructive critique that will help further my knowledge of material culture.

its been awhile

2010-01-30T14:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't written here in awhile, things this semester have changed, and I am no longer required to maintain a weekly blog

I visited several museums over the break, some (such as the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Annex) are/were clearly there for the entertainment value. The exhibited material was interesting and well interpreted, but hte greatest achievement of the place was its high-tech personal sound systems. Unlike most other acoustiguides that require input from the user or are timed, this was done fully through wireless "hotspots" the only issue was the hotspots were often soo close together that if you didn't activate the new hotspot, the music in ur headphones would be extremely out of touch with the new section of the exhibit. It did do a good job of its main point, showcasing the history and development of rock and roll from its origins in the early 1900's.

more to come (i promise this time)

readings of the week

2009-11-22T21:13:00.001-08:00

What a busy week!! This week we have a practical piece from Roy Rosensweig called Digital History. He gives a step by step account of how to create a history website. In the process he discusses many of the issues that affect such sites. The problems are widespread, and include technology, storage, copyright, and other such issues unique to the proliferation of the internet. But Rosensweig fails to outright discuss what is perhaps the largest internet problem, that of authenticity. What distinguishes an article on the Holocaust from an article on Holocaust denial? In print that would be done by the medium in which the article is written. On the internet this is much more difficult to discover. That is the service given by the “gatekeepers” that Rosensweig and other historians so maligns. Perhaps a solution does exist, some sort of compromise between the for-profit companies and the presumably not-for-profit journals that they come from.

Digital History is a few years old, which isn’t usually a problem in the subject of history, but since this book describes the internet time passes much more quickly. In the words of Jeffrey Wasserstrom time on the internet is in “dog years”. Blogging—just beginning at the publication of the book has become an extremely popular form of communication. Jeffrey Wasserstrom describes this on Intersections: History and New Media in an essay called “The Mythology of Blogs: A Top Ten List for the Uninitiated Historians”. He explains various misconceptions about blogs including that they are not necessarily amateurish, nor the sole purview of younger people.

History websites need not be the normal journal articles or even blogs. While Rosensweig provides a template for a “standard” history website, others have done things that are extremely interesting and unique. Lisa Rosner has turned to a technology much like Google’s street view and developed an interesting way of exhibiting history. On her website (burkeandhare.com) one can take a tour of the 19th century city as it appeared to those involved. The problem with this, and all good internet products is that they are quite expensive. The technology required also often need specialized knowledge, and possibly the hiring of a specialist to do the work for you.

The digital turn is not a fad, it is the future, but the work required is specialized and difficult. Blogs such as mine and my classmates are an interesting project, but a simple one considering the possibilities that could be achieved. A historian must also be technologically trained today to function.

review of the Eugenics Archive

2009-11-22T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Eugenics Archive documents the history of the now-discredited scientific theory of eugenics. The archive is hosted by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) through its Dolan DNA Learning Center (DNALC). It has over 2,500 images and several “online exhibits” describing the different reasons behind and impacts of the eugenics movement. Eugenics corrupted true genetic theory; using a narrow interpretation to try and “better” the human race by encourage the “fit” to reproduce and discouraging the “degenerate” from doing the same. It also served to reaffirm white supremacy, by casting Western European whites (Caucasoid) as the most fit, and African (Mongoloid) as degenerate.

By today’s digital standards The Eugenics Archive is simple and low-tech. (The main site has not had significant changes since at least 2004). The images are primarily organized by “topic” although keyword and chronological searches are also available. Each topic has a passage explaining its history. There are also nine in-depth interpretive essays (called virtual exhibits) about eugenics, presented in “flash” format so a few images could be included alongside, these images expand when the mouse hovers over them. The text of these essays explain the social and political climate that helped foster the widespread acceptance of eugenics, and also describes the consequences of this theory—such as immigration “reform” and forced sterilization. These essays are written by scholars, but presented in such a way that those without a background in the subject can grasp the concepts.

Although the essays are well-written, the presentation is problematic. It requires several pages to read the essay, yet only one set of images is used for the entire essay. An opportunity to better integrate images into this text is lost, there are also no links between the essays and the rest of the images or the topics they discuss. The archive seems to have begun to address this lack of interactivity through the introduction of a new blog. This blog has sporadic postings on modern topics that relate to eugenics (such as heredity and the storm surround the 2009 health care debates)—and it does it in such a way as to encourage a “shared authority” between audience and writer, encouraging the visitor to explore the archive and make their own decisions.

The archive itself contains around 2,500 images. However the word “image” is somewhat misleading, as most of the items presented are digital copies of textual documents, although many pictorial images also appear. The archive collects a large variety of documents from archives in the United States and England, discussing mostly the movement in America (all the interpretive essays focus on this aspect), but there is also acknowledgement of how the Nazi’s took the ideas of eugenics and developed the theories of the “master race” from them.

The Eugenics archive is a useful repository of images about this dark period in American life. While it presently suffers from a lack of interactivity, the new blog, if used properly, can help to fix this problem.

Prosthetic Memory

2009-11-13T19:46:00.000-08:00

How do we interpret memory that is beyond our own experience?

Landsberg suggests that voluntary memory is nothing more than a prosthetic, a portable, interchangeable, piece of equipment. Unlike involuntary memory which is shaped by personal experience Landsberg attempts to prove that voluntary memory is shaped by society and "implanted" into an individual.
Some of her evidence is quite compelling, however a large portion of it is not true evidence in my opinion. A large section of her book is dedicated to an analysis of science fiction movies. She does NOT analyze their impact on society but ANALYZES the movie an a very "in universe" style. She implies that these fictional movies are somehow a basis for the real design of memory.
In others it appears that she has suspended her "seichel" (street smarts) and thinks that she is being gassed within the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The idea that anyone could think that would occur is just ludicrous, for one thing, the security guard would not have been standing under the vent on his walkie talkie and the cattle car doors would have been closed.
I also disagree with her analysis of putting us in the "moment" of the Holocaust at that museum. One of her examples is the "shoe room" where thousands of shoes from gassed inmates at one particular camp are just piled on the floor. As you walk through that room you do not walk through the shoes but over them, putting you not in the moment, but in the present, looking back. to make sure that "Never Again" will the Holocaust happen. To throw a further wrench in her story I suggest she over-generalizes the impact of the Holocaust, and completely leaves out the battles between minority groups over "Warring Holocausts" (Slavery vs. the Shoah)
This leads me to another point about her book in general. While she seems to lament the idea of a collective memory, she does not specify any of the uses that collective memory can serve (both positive and negative). When she discusses the Holocaust not once does she use the phrase "Never Again" which is the main takeaway from Holocaust memory in America (especially in Novick's book). The same holds true for the rest of the book.

Winter's article also looks at the reflection on "collective memory" but looks specifically at how the state shapes this memory. His examples are much more concrete and understandable than those presented by Landsberg. His observations on how state influence shapes remembrance of the Battle of the Somme is interesting. The idea that memory commemoration must be positive (as the memory itself often isn't) is an interesting concept as a way to combat PTSD and other such situations.

2009-11-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

This weeks readings concern various topics, from gentrification to the end of history museums.

The Mirabal reading on gentrification is a fairly standard polemic against the process. Gentrification is the latest form of urban renewal—just with more private investment than in periods past. Basically a neighborhood is targeted because of its proximity to workplaces and becomes “upclassed”. The reason for the inclusion of this article in the Public Historian is that Mirabal achieves her work through an oral history project of the people that are being forced out—mostly Latino. It is heartening to see that San Francisco has begun to push back, to try and manage its development in a way that keeps its existing communities intact, but still allow for some improvement.

The other major article for this week is an interesting study of the losing appeal of history museums. Admissions revenue—never a large part of most museums’ budgets, but still significant—is continuing to fall, as people find other things to do besides visit museums. Carson either does not, or can not, pinpoint the reason for this drop-off to occur, but nationwide statistics show that it is—mostly at older “destination museums”. As people make the “staycation” popular, museums that required travel are often the first to suffer. Those that connect with the person on an individual level are the ones that do the best. One example of a museum that is still booming is the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, dedicated to no special family (nobody famous ever lived there) but to the local community that many Americans arrived through in the late 1800’s- early 1900’s. Other museums that are doing well are ones that connect much with recent history, such as the International Spy Museum and the Newseum in D.C. It should also be noted that these are all private museums (and in the case of the latter two, quite expensive). As I’ve previously learned most people connect with history that is directly related to them, and museums that do that seem to have the best attendance rates are those that can elaborate on these connections—either through family history, or the people involved actually living through the times of parts of the museum.

That being said, his idea to revitalize older museums deserved some true interest. Although I doubt it would ever attract the following that could come close to what he suggests the idea of a television show based around historic sites has much merit. But instead of his ideas of regionality, I would propose one that is thematic, a soap opera, or even a long running children’s show based on the time period that the theme of the museums describes. PBS missed this opportunity several years ago with a show they did called “Liberty’s Kids” (the episodes are available on youtube). They had several elements that would make them successful bringing the kids in with a theme song by Aaron Carter, and also bringing the parents to the show by using Walter Cronkite to voiceover a “sage” Dr. Benjamin Franklin. It covers several areas that are involved in the Revolutionary War, but does not foster enough connection with the sites it discusses to try and forge a connection between the children who watch the show, and the sites that are showcased (too many in this show are fictional). However the weaving of the historical stories of several towns (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and others) could serve as a model for a true program of Carson’s design.

The article “Auctioning the Old West to Help a City in the East” is an interesting tidbit about how city budgets affect what could be a popular museum. The mayor of Harrisburg apparently decided to be a wildcat curator and acquire—without city council permission—over 7 million dollars of artifacts for a museum of the Old West—a period that does prove popular. The problem is that with this 7 million dollars in artifacts was no endowment, and no building. Harrisburg had all this stuff in storage, and had a budget shortfall. The council ordered the objects auctioned off to close the budget shortfall. The response to the auction has shown that if the proper channels were followed, the museum would probably have done well. The popularity of the auctions was high; showing that there is a demand for such a museum. I wonder what would have occurred if this museum had come to fruition, instead of being auctioned off, piece by piece.

2009-10-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

through interpretation, understanding; through understanding, appreciation; through appreciation, protection

Freeman Tilden's quote about the importance of interpretation fifty years ago still rings true today. If people do not understand why something is important, they often do not appreciate it, and therefore don't see the need to protect it.

In Tilden's theory interpretation is the front-line defense, protection stems from this, and not the other way around. But, as is a common theme through many of these readings, interpretation must be more than just providing information. It must provide a means of understanding and appreciation of a site, whether it be historic or natural. The interpreter must care about and understand the site themselves before they can impart that knowledge to others.

Interpretation is important not only after a site is founded, but even to found the site in the first place. Patricia West shows us that politics is interpretation. In order to get a site preserved it must be interpreted as something worthy of saving. Some of these are easier "sells" than others. The preservation of Orchard house was an easy to sell to preserve, although the reason for why it was protected was not the reason many people thought it should be protected. (It emphasized Mr. Alcott's utopian dreams, and not his daughters writing.

the past is the stories we tell is what Handler and Gable call what people discuss about history. History is fact, the past is the story woven from the "important" facts. Tilden would say that a compelling story is not enough for good interpretation, you must go beyond the story and find some way to compel the interest of the audience Handler and Gable show how that is done in Williamsburg, and how it is also prevented. The story is highly commercialized and sensitized, one must feel that things are better than they once where--the scripted idea of progress.

But these all also discuss that history is not static, the stories we tell change, and interpretation must change with new experiences.

2009-10-27T17:48:00.001-07:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091027/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_stalin_station

my thoughts to come later

Preserving America

2009-10-25T18:18:00.001-07:00

The idea of preserving historic America is well over one hundred years old. However the movement as really accelerated in the past fifty years. But what impact does this historic preservation have on the surrounding area? Do “historic districts” really accomplish what they say they will accomplish? And what exactly is “historic preservation”.

Both Cathy Stanton and Diane Lea leave out building codes that while do not preserve the historic character of a building; do preserve the historic vista of the property. The District of Columbia has such a rule, keeping the height limits of all buildings with D.C. below that of the statue on top of the Capitol Dome. All this code has done is pushed the towering behemoth from the center of town out into nearby suburbs such as Bethesda, MD. and Rossyln, VA.

Cathy Stanton’s book on Lowell, Massachusetts is an interesting look at urban historic preservation in America’s oldest manufacturing city. The book is combination of an anthropological look at the people involved in preservation, and a critical look at modern urban planning. Lowell, like many urban preservation projects, is a living city, while at the same time is also a historic entity. Stanton finds that many of those involved in the preservation of Lowell—both guides and consumers—have an insular existence when it comes to interacting with the city itself. Many want to do so, and think they are (such as those who take the tours of residential neighborhoods) but they just look, and do not interact. It becomes a situation in which tourists are served by a small number of community members, and you hope that the prosperity somehow trickles down to the rest of the city. As we have seen in Lowell—and elsewhere, just across the Anacostia River from the National Mall is Southeast Washington D.C., (a poverty-stricken neighborhood that a tourist only enters if their GPS badly routes them)—that isn’t always the case. Even with the Lowell Museum and Lowell NHS the city is still reliant on the boom and bust of the manufacturing industry, its attempts to create a post-industrial economy lagging behind the rest of Boston metro—with millions spent on an entertainment industry (including tourism) that doesn’t seem to have the benefits promoters believe it does.

Lowell is not the only urban preservation project in this country. Many cities all across the nation have developed historic districts and urban historical parks. The difference is historic districts remain in private hands, but any decision regarding renovation is subject to review by a historic preservation committee, often an intensive and expensive process. Originally developed as a counterpoint to urban renewal, historic districts have become the new urban renewal poster boys. They do cause property values and rents to rise, because history makes it “hip” to live and shop there, but as we also see in Lowell, housing usually isn’t affordable. In these cases it also isn’t new housing created, it is old affordable housing taken off the market as rents rise. On the other hand, it does preserve the character of an area and keeps America interesting.

Dorothy Lea laments that preserving America isn’t as natural as saving endangered species. Maybe it shouldn’t be. There is such a thing as too much of a “good” thing.

Which Launius exhibit do you want?

2009-10-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/abs/10.1525/tph.2007.29.1.13
For those of you who aren't in Managing History here is a link to an article, at the end is a list of 10 exhibits that Launius wishes he could create at the National Air and Space Museum
which is your favorite?

Mine is Thinking about the Unthinkable: Cold War and the Nuclear Triad
although most of them look good.

Controversial History

2009-10-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

How do you deal with controversial history?
Do you shove it under the rug? Give it some tame euphemism? Confront it outright?

These are the questions that this week’s readings on slavery and technology discuss.

A history museum must do more than simply exist. It must engage and enrapture the visitor, while at the same time being aware that it cannot blaspheme or overtly distort history. If visitors do not enter the doors, the museum is not serving any purpose at all. As Slavery and Public History and The Public History of Science show controversial history is often overlooked, tamed, or forced out of the museum.
The difficulty is compounded when one tries to create an overarching national narrative. There is usually not one narrative of history, but several, each more controversial than the ones that were promulgated before. There is also the problem of trying to invoke a past that the entire nation doesn’t share. Rosensweig and Thelen have shown us that most people care about their family history, and those parts of the narrative that they can see themselves, or their family in, but do not care to share those parts of history where they do not see involvement.

Slavery has always been controversial in American life—although it didn’t solely cause the Civil War it didn’t help things any. There is no easy way to interpret slavery. Calling them “servants” or totally ignoring the subject is just bad history. But it is a difficult topic to approach. My personal feeling is that slavery should be portrayed as accurately as possible—a benevolent master (where credit is due) or cruel or indifferent one, some representation of slave quarters (even if it’s a diorama), and of course, if it is a “living history” museum, slaves themselves.

Funny side story: While walking through Old City Philadelphia a black interpreter approached me and asked if he looked like Thomas Jefferson—I asked if his last name was “Hemings”, but the reason he asked was somebody said he looked just like Thomas Jefferson.

Technological History can be almost as difficult to discuss. Especially when it comes to things such as the Enola Gay. (For those that do not know the Enola Gay was the bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima) Having not seen the Enola Gay exhibit I cannot comment specifically on it, but my hope is that it involved a discussion—not an absolute—of the necessity of dropping the A-bomb in the first place. This problem can be viewed down the road at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). While discussing the American response (or more lack of response), you encounter a massive map of the Aushwitz-Birkenau camp complex. The purpose of the map is to show that the Allies knew of what was happening there, and knew how to stop it. It gives a very negative analysis of the reasons why America did not bomb the camps without giving full credence to reasons why that did not happen. (It’s on their website too http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005182)

Controversial history is a tough nugget to deal with—especially in places where the history has been either obliterated or turned into office space—but it must be acknowledged. A museum with a one-dimensional narrative cannot properly evaluate all sides of a controversial problem. Perhaps this is the most important time when the final decision must be left to the visitor, all that can be done is ask thought provoking questions and provide as much evidence as possible.

What makes a good museum?

2009-10-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

What makes a good museum? Are all museums good? How do you measure the quality of a museum? What is the value of an object?
These are all questions from the readings this week. Most are hard to answer, although the second should have an obvious one, NO. There are museums are bad, either because they do “bad history” or because they have not been able to articulate and make themselves matter.
A good museum is one with a clear purpose, adequate resources, efficient use, and good interpretation. A failure in any one of these areas will make a museum “bad”, and failures in multiple would probably put a museum under—or at least make it lightly visited.
Museums tread a fine line; they must balance the truth with what their visitors can stand to hear. A museum does not matter if it has no visitors, because regardless of how well they do any of the other factors, no one will know it exists. Often this can involve tempering the truth, offering it selectively, speaking in euphemisms. But sometimes one must stand up to the public, and surprise them with facts that might be troubling.
What is exhibited and how it is described is an important part of this equation. Whether it is a controversial work of art, or the “servants quarters” of a historic home, controversial exhibits bring questions, and often make people think about the past, present, and future in new ways. Today museums matter because they encourage thought and reflection in ways that the average person understands.

But how does one determine if a museum is meeting these new goals. One way is AAM accreditation, another is a new assessment program that helps museums compare themselves to each other, in a way this is beneficial, it helps one to understand what else the field is doing. But Stephen Weil points out a problem with this model, the resources of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the South Cupcake Art Museum are entirely different, one simply cannot compare with another. SCAM may be the only cultural institution in town, therefore it must not only exhibit art, but serve the other needs of the community as well, it probably also has less resources to do this, so instead of staging massive art exhibits, SCAM would stage smaller exhibits, perhaps some live music shows, school programs, and other community events. But does the lack of a major collection (even one major work) make SCAM a scam? If its purpose is to serve the community in multiple ways, then it is doing its job well, but if SCAM wants to be PMA, then it truly is a scam.

New museum reveals the man behind the mouse

2009-09-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.mercurynews.com/tv/ci_13421123?nclick_check=1
There is a new museum dedicated to Walt Disney opening in San Francisco.

Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center

2009-09-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

Located on the Schuylkill River side of the Philadelphia Museum of Art is the Fairmount Water Works. One of the oldest municipal water systems in the country Philadelphia's is quite interesting. Water was drawn from the Schuylkill originally to a pumping station on the site of City Hall. Unfortunately that station was under-capacity from day one. Bt 1815 a new pumping station was built below Fair Mount, a high plateau above any other site in the city at that point, so anything flowing down from it would do so by gravity. Over time the plant expanded and modernized-using the most effiecent water turbines of the era to power the pump up to the top of the reservoir.
By 1909 Fairmount Water Works was past ready to be shut down, because the river had gotten so polluted from upstream. In fact Fairmount probably should have been shut down several years before it was, by the time it closed only those who couldn't afford bottled water still used the water from the tap. Notably this is the only veiled mention of anything concerning class in the entire exhibit. It is next to the only mention of women in the entire exhibit both about the closing of the waterworks and the starting of a sand filtration program.
It doesn't show if class and women paid a part in the establishment of the waterworks-they probably did-it puts that story solely in the hands of the benevolent "city fathers".
That being said, it still is an interesting museum about the water supply of Philadelphia, because not only does it talk about the waterworks, it talks about present problems with water pollution-while being careful not to blame the city for any of it, possibly because it is funded with city money. I will find out more about this when I speak to the director (I hope to use it for my exhibit review)
One other interesting fact is that while the museum was used as the Philadelphia Aquarium many fish became ill and some died because they used the same polluted unfiltered water that closed the waterworks for human consumption for the fish.
It is free, and definetly warrants a visit, even if someone is just walking through fairmount, its a short hop up the parwkay from the Franklin Institute.

History repeats itself

2009-09-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.patcopaexpansion.com/index.html

It seems that Philadelphia wants to get further into the act of rejuvenating the streetcar lines from older times. This project would create a new line in an area where one might not have existed before (did one), along the waterfront, with connections somehow to the downtown core.
San Francisco has done the same, using the same historic trolleys (in fact many are PCC from Philadlephia) from Fishermans wharf, along the Embarcadero, and then down Market Street.

http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfleet/histcars.php

American Swedish Historical Society

2009-09-22T21:41:00.001-07:00

Today I visited the American Swedish Historical Society because I was interested in the idea. (For those that don't know, the Philadelphia area was originally part of New Sweden.) Much like the colony of New Sweden itself, it appears the museum has fallen into obscurity. Located in FDR park in South Philly, it is across the street from some of the event parking of the Pattinson Sports Complex. Access is provided by a doorbell or a loud knock (the doorbell apparently doesn't work half the time). For the entire time i was there (a little over an hour) the museum was totally devoid of other visitors and some of the staff was not entirely helfpul (due to inexperience, not rudeness). The collections themselves were somewhat interesting, depending upon the exhibit. The building contained a lot of older Swedish furniture, as well as an archeological dig from the original section of New Sweden.
However much of the text (especially on the large placards) read somewhat simplistically. There were some run-on sentences and several instances where I felt that the language read like a fifth grade history paper. I.E.
"The settlers established a peaceful relationship with the Lenape and Susquehannock because of the mandate from the Swedish Crown to cultivate American Indians as trading partners. New Sweden colonists were few compared to the large number of Dutch and English settled in what became New Jersey and New York. These peaceable relationships allowed the Swedish and Finnish settlers to spread out and start farms along the west bank of the Delaware."
Not only does the language here seem fairly simplistic, it leaves out saying that the fact that they had few numbers made it easier to live with the Dutch and English (that happens later in the exhibit when they talk about disintegration of the peaceable relationship.
This is one small example, the writing in other parts of the museum seemed better.

Has anybody else been to the museum/have an opinion?

reading of the week 9/21

2009-09-20T19:41:00.001-07:00

Who and what is important in history?
How can history be used to construct an ahistorical world?

Rosenzweig and Thelen tackle the first question in their book Presence of the Past. What they discover is perhaps nothing new but it is interesting that they find the need to call it the “past” instead of “history”. In my mind much of what people described as the past (importance of family traditions especially) was simply family history. But perhaps the most startling fact in the book is who is considered a historical authority. Museums are trusted above all other public forms of history (including high school education). The problem with this is that most museums are episodic or thematic—focusing on one episode or theory and often leave out other contexts. At least most people realized the problematic nature of most movies—that even those that purport to be non-fiction or “based on a true story”—are barely based on fact, and have a huge amount of conjecture and sensationalism in them.

The association of the past with family is a very powerful one, my family included. The family history is perhaps one of the most unifying and non-controversial conversations one can have with relatives—or it can be the most contentious over the minutiae. The national narrative of history can be a large and abstract thing, but a family narrative is much smaller and often more concrete way of describing history. Apparently people seem to place the national narrative in terms of their family histories and use this to understand the past. It provides concrete explanations for the abstract—such as the Great Depression and the Cold War—but family history also provides something else. Family history provides an alternate account for those who feel left out of, or completely distorted in, the national narrative.

Kim and Jamal's article on the Renaissance Faire had another way of looking at the past. These faires have people that are “regulars” who take on fictional personas for the entire weekend. They often act essentially as volunteer docents, taking the more “tourist” visitors on a trip through this parallel world. In order to do this they take create an ahistorical world based on the “facts” of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages, but really the myths—like Camelot.

The History of History

2009-09-12T14:54:00.001-07:00

The book of the Week is Ian Tyrell’s Historians in Public: The Practice of American History 1890-1920. It is essentially a book about the history of the subject of History, and how it relates to the public—or didn’t. Tyrell claims that essentially American historians have had a blind spot when looking at the history of History—frequently claiming that the discipline of History is dying when all they need to do is look back and notice that it isn’t dead or dying, but constantly changing. I find it interesting how Tyrell does this; he uses a fairly rigid periodization of history, roughly analogous to periods used by other historians. His approach is also mostly that of “Great Men” style of history. The book can also serve as an institutional history of the American Historical Society because Tyrell focuses mainly on the policies of the AHA and how it affected and was changed by society.
Despite the fact that the project seems to be centered on the AHA and several leaders—and opponents—of the organization, it explains several problems with history through the years. I found it extremely interesting how Historians were involved in the World War II effort—often at the expense of other research—and how they fed into the propaganda machine. But was perhaps more interesting to me was the entrance of historians into government service as advisors. Today that field seems somewhat moribund, perhaps because of the problems experienced in earlier years (too much red tape, low salaries, etc.)
I find it interesting that many of our own worries about history (glut of historians, public disconnect, conflicts with politics), has been part of the profession for several periods during the last 100 years. The author of the book is also interesting. Tyrell is not from the United States; his major block of time here was probably part of his PhD as a Fulbright Scholar (http://iantyrrell.wordpress.com/). Perhaps this story is only one that can be told by someone disaffected from it, whose livelihood does not rely upon pleasing other American historians.

In what seems to be a prelude to this work—perhaps some if its inspiration—is a speech by Carl Becker, entitled “Everyman his own Historian”. It shows how the regular person “does” history, by using mundane daily events and putting them in a historical context. Becker says that “History is the memory of things said and done”. For the average person this is true, but for a historian there is often an added context, that of interpretation—linking disparate memories together, and finding a common theme, or a reason for a lack of one. There is a weird example of the historian’s craft that I developed on the fly in an English paper of all places.

Jane has gained 10 pounds over the last week.
Jane’s candy jar has been emptied in the last week.
Conclusion: Jane has gained 10 pounds from eating a lot of candy last week.

This is an example of how someone’s memory functions, the simple story of how Jane gained 10 pounds. However Jane claims she didn’t eat all the candy, and so another explanation must be found. Lets add a few facts:

Jane’s brother Michael also gained 10 pounds.
Jane is sexually active.
New conclusion: Michael ate all the candy and Jane is pregnant.

This is a simple explanation of what can be the historians craft—especially revisionist history, or even the “memory of things said and done”. If someone close to Jane was willing to believe her and investigate the claim further, they would be doing the work of the historian, but in a much more limited and immediate sense.

The job of the historian is to take this immediate history and place it in the context of larger events, such as an example in a history of unnoticed pregnancy, or a history of obesity. I know this is a humorous approach to the situation, but I feel it can be appropriate.

The pirates of history

2009-09-03T14:47:00.001-07:00

The pirates of history—This is a tale about a different type of swashbuckin’ renegade that sailed the seven seas.

O.K. so most of these pirates only sailed one short sea, and most had education, and they often had the blessing of the governments of home and abroad—but they were pirates just the same. Go to almost every older city in the Western World and mostly on prominent display, or occasionally tucked away down some back street, you’ll find their booty. Hundreds if not thousands of Egyptian pyramids and tombs, even many Greek and Roman sculptures and edifices have been unearthed from their homes and put on display halfway around the world.

I have been to a bunch of these old museums and it has gotten old, it gets to the point where all the Egyptian rooms look the same. However, the magnitude of destruction remains. I always wonder, what does the place where these come from look like. In some cases, nothing remains, yet in others, like the removal of the Parthenon (Elgin) Marbles, their home remains, and is now waiting for their return. Rarely have I seen a museum exhibit address the fact that these items once had another home, and if I do, it is always about how it was an engineering marvel to move them—of course it was, they weren’t designed to be portable—but almost never anything about the affect that these moves have had on the place where they came from.

I will admit, that in many cases moving these objects was the only thing that saved them from destruction—that is not always the case. There was an article that I once read on the Elgin Marbles, and the “white man’s burden” mentality behind moving them from Greece to Britain—I wish I could remember the author. It involved the chance to return the Marbles back to their original home, the Parthenon. Lord Elgin had them removed originally because he felt that they were too beautiful to be left to the Greek government—at the time fairly primitive by our standards—to manage. In recent years Greece has asked for them back, but Britain claims they have become such a part of British culture it would be impossible to remove them.

I personally feel torn on what to do with these objects that have already been moved halfway across the world. They have often found good homes in their new locations, open to opportunities that the sometimes remote—admittedly not always—home locations would not be able to provide. However they are often the only bits reminding people of their culture of the past, what good is it in this respect if people have to travel from Greece to London, or from Egypt to New York to discover it?

What do you think?

Star Trek at the Franklin Institute

2009-09-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

Warning: This is a non-academic ramble

I am a big fan of the original Star Trek and Star Trek The Next Generation (TNG), so a few weeks ago I decided to visit the exhibit and see what it was about. It was amazing, and an interesting approach. The exhibit was designed with two intertwining narratives. Parts of the exhibit looked at how the show was filmed—including the different effects from the different time periods, the appearance of the alien races, etc. Other parts of the exhibit were treated as if you were in the future, looking back at the periods described in the different Star Treks—the narrative information was written in such a way that references to Star Trek being a T.V. show were left out, and it was a continuous period of actual history. The exhibit had the bridge from Star Trek TNG, Kirk’s chair, the mockups used for the scenes that need the entire ship. It also had samples of the uniforms and gadgets from each series—set up in a progression from beginning to end and described as if you were in a technology museum. Overall it was a very interesting and intriguing look at Star Trek, from those interested in cinematography, to die-hard Trekkies, and to even casual observers—its only downside is the steep admission price to the Franklin Institute.

Welcome

2009-09-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

Hello. I am a public history M.A. student at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. I also have B.A. in History with a Jewish Studies minor from American University in Washington D.C. This blog is to document my historical readings and experiences. My biggest historical interest is what perhaps the main idea of public history is, how to disseminate and interpret artifacts and other historical information for the public, while allowing for some sort of way for the public to provide feedback as well. I am also hoping to be able to get some useful feedback on papers and projects. Here you'll see my feelings on readings that I have been assigned for my classes, as well as reviews of different museums I have seen.

Happy Reading