The stories within Dubins collection Displays of Power, display a very simple idea, that these controversial displays give power to some groups while alienating others. These can include staff, ethnic groups, and much more. Two excellent points of this both come from New York, exhibiting Irish and African Americans within the city.
This first exhibit, Harlem on My Mind, displayed the power that the ideas a museum can bring out within people, especially during more tumultuous times. As Dubin puts it, the exhibit itself developed into a “Bobo Doll”, where everyone at this time used the exhibit to voice dissatisfaction about the socials issues at this time. (Dubin, 49) The issues of discontent during this period did not assist the museums message. As one detractor put it, the museums display did not respond to what the people of Harlem desired, becoming nothing but “A staggering display of honkey chutzpah”. (Dubin, 47) Harlem on My Mind acted as a lightning rod for the frustrations within Harlem, showing the power of what an exhibit can bring to light.
Another exhibit, Gaelic Gotham, created its own set of issues within New York. One of the big ones that displayed early came from the exclusion of certain groups, like the Irish Gay and Lesbian Organization, which continued to have issues with the city aside from in the exhibit. (Dubin, 67) outcries from organizations like the I.G.L.O. as well as internals issues forced the staff into a very poor situation. These threats and criticisms hurt the ability of the exhibit, but once again showed how the power of creating an exhibit can create focus the power of a museum. (Dubin, 92-93)
Through these exhibits, Dubin created an excellent view of how powerful an exhibit can be.
So did the Harlem display no longer served its original purpose? When it was overwhelmed by the many views that wanted to be showcased, was it lost to the people of Harlem, or did it show what a crazy melting pot Harlem has been through its lifetime? Which of these was the starting point of the creators? Also, such as in the Gaelic exhibit, do these organizations get left out because of any ideology or are they just unnoticed until they can make their voices heard? A hypothesis is that museum exhibits bring to the forefront a new avenue for the underrepresented, even if they are not in the display.
ReplyDeleteI think you highlight a very important point, Cody. Controversial museum exhibits do not have to be inherently or intentionally incendiary. Often the controversy stems from entirely different and unspoken issues in the broader cultural milieu. In both the '60s and '90s, museum exhibits provided the spark to latent social powder kegs, whether it was racial tension or the culture wars.
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