I had a moment for everything I'd lost and a moment toasting everything I'd gained.
Everything I'd lost and everything I'd gained.
Although this experience had little to do with the rest of my exploring, it felt revelatory and it sets the scene, I guess, for my solo adventures. If I hadn't uprooted myself, it would be nearly impossible to have the wonderful day I had today, at the very least.
I had really low expectations for the NMAH, I'll admit this up front. As a rule, I try not to set high expectations- but also, I was a little underwhelmed by parts of the National Zoo and the National Museum of American History. Some of the exhibits in both haven't been updated in decades. I feared the same would be true of the NMAH. It's not as if these fields are stagnant- we find new thing and create new interpretations of the past every day- it's just that these enterprises receive less funding than other, more glamorous (and more explode-y) sectors of the economy.
The NMAH surprised me. It was beautiful, even though half of it is undergoing renovations until 2015. (How do I get in on that, seriously?) I wandered the museum for hours and even though I saw every exhibit, I left feeling like I'd missed some things. As it turns out, now looking at my map, I can see I missed the Within These Walls exhibit- guess I'll have to go back! It's such a massive space. I won't detail every single thing, rather share some highlights.
Overall, the NMAH uses multiple historical approaches to reaffirm American patriotism while also challenging the dominant narrative in American history. As this continues to be one of my goals for all museums, I was impressed by how well the NMAH accomplished this. There were a multiplicity of voices featured throughout the museum; this theme continued through all exhibits. The inclusion of voices from average black and white men and women as well as non-white and LGBTQ men and women in history, I feel, is crucial. How does one feel a part of a nation that continually excludes them from the nation's history? They don't. It is important to include many voices from the past, not just those voices deemed important by tradition. The NMAH accomplishes this task, for the most part, which allows more people to see their history reflected and to reaffirm their part in the national fabric.
I started on the second floor where the African American History and Culture Gallery and American Stories galleries are. The AAHCG exhibit examined black history from Emancipation to the Civil Rights. The exhibit not only grappled with the contradictions, tensions and complexities of slavery and the persistence of these feelings in the postbellum, it also highlighted the persistence, dedication and struggles of black Americans in the Civil Rights movement and beyond. While this exhibit is beautifully put together, it did not particularly take into account the gendered experiences of black men and women, who experienced the slave system in different ways. Even so, I found the AAHCG exhibit to be thorough and to introduce the audience to the complexities of slavery and its aftermath. On the same floor, the American Stories exhibit offers a fun and brief look at American history told, in part, through artifacts from popular culture. Next to the AS exhibit is a traveling exhibit that details the life of Peruvian-American songwriter and translator Clotilde Arias by examining her songs and possessions. As someone who actively uses cultural history in her own research, I found most amazing and profound about these exhibits is their focus on personal effects and popular culture. The Arias exhibit tells a story through biography, which is useful historically because people's daily lives can reveal much about the culture and context in which they lived, but also highlights the notion that individuals can and do influence the course of history. Personal possessions reveal what we as a culture value, and I think, can make an exhibit more relateable. Of course, surrounded by lovely, rare and quite old artifacts, what do you think the crowd gathered around the most? A Kermit puppet. Go figure.
As an aside- I also viewed the Star-Spangled Banner exhibit, which features the actual flag that inspired F. Scott Key's song, now known as the National Anthem. (Yes, the exhibit does mention that the tune is that of an English drinking song.) I had no idea the flag was the size of a house. It's massive and lovely and definitely leaves the audience with that "HELL YEAH!" feeling a national museum wishes to impart on its domestic visitors.
As an aside- I also viewed the Star-Spangled Banner exhibit, which features the actual flag that inspired F. Scott Key's song, now known as the National Anthem. (Yes, the exhibit does mention that the tune is that of an English drinking song.) I had no idea the flag was the size of a house. It's massive and lovely and definitely leaves the audience with that "HELL YEAH!" feeling a national museum wishes to impart on its domestic visitors.
Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the military-themed exhibit, Price of Freedom. Military history is not my thing. My eyes glaze over when someone mentions gun specs or battle routes. However, this exhibit too blended multiple historical approaches to make it interesting and relevant to many visitors. I did notice that a lot of young boys, all less than 13, were rattling off an awful lot of gun specs. Is there a youth antique gun club in DC or something? The highlight of this exhibit was the Civil War section. Generally this war gets a lot of attention, but I liked that the NMAH showed multiple attitudes- from farmers, industrialists, laborers, etc.- towards the war. There was even a stop that showcased women's efforts- who are often ignored in discussions of war because they seldom appear in combat roles. This same care was shown to the Vietnam War and again, highlights the complexity and tensions within our past. I was a little disappointed that World War I got so much less attention than its more glamorous brother, World War II. More effort could have been made to expand the discussion of WWI and its aftermath to link it to WWII. That said, this exhibit featured enough gorgeous antique weapons and military strategy to please even the most fanatical of military enthusiasts, but also blended a number of touching humanizing artifacts that highlight the cost of war. In particular, a card that read "On what would have been your 40th birthday- we miss you so much"- was almost enough to move an already emotional me to tears. While being impressed by America's military might throughout the decades, these small artifacts remind the audience of the cost of war.
The Presidency: The Glorious Burden exhibit opened with this quote by LBJ: The presidency has made every man who occupied it, no matter how small, bigger than he was and no matter how big, not big enough for its demands. I thought it was quite fitting and indeed a profound way to view the Commanders in Chief. I was really excited to view the First Lady exhibit, but disappointed to find it focused mostly on fashion and hostess duties. There were a lot of plates involved. As much as I feel fashion and cookware belong in a discussion of history, I felt there was a lack of...substance. Very little attention was paid to the actions of the First Ladies- a handful of panels at the most. Where was the discussion of powerhouses like Abigail Adams, who advised her husband? Where was Eleanor Roosevelt's civil rights activism? First Ladies did and do more than just wear couture gowns and set out plates, they involve themselves in politics as well, and not enough attention was paid to their important roles. Instead of simply reaffirming the First Lady's roles (and, by extension, American women's roles), there should have been more discussion on how First Ladies crossed the accepted boundary of "hostess" by engaging politics and causes. I really wanted to like this exhibit, but it left something to be desired.
The exhibits that surprised me were the Americans on the Move and FOOD exhibitions. In highlight the past through common, every day, mundane and often overlooked events like travel, movement and eating, the NMAH created a space for inter-generational discussion and bonding. Through artifacts, I overheard families connecting with their distant as well as close relatives. In the On the Move exhibit, a woman told her tiny daughter, "See that car? It was made 13 years after grandma's grandma was born!" The woman used her family to explain the 1913 car to her young daughter by using their family story. A similar thing happened in the FOOD exhibit when a mother told her son, "Growing up I had a stove just like that!" These artifacts can foster discussion that allows families to bond with and understand each other as well as to contextualize the lives of their ancestors. I don't know if this was NMAH's intent, but it produced genius results! I really like these types of exhibits because even young children can immerse themselves in the past in a way that is different than hearing stories. They can see the old car, touch the old stove, look at old produce labels and experience history in a way that is not possible during story telling. That is not to say the other exhibits lack these qualities- each exhibit panel was structured so that their were multiple levels of understanding- from children and families to academics. However, the food and travel exhibits foster discussion because everyone eats and everyone travels, meaning every person who sees the exhibit can find some point at which they connect. And that's the important part, right?
Our stories will live on best when we can connect with the past.
After the NMAH, I enjoyed a cup of coffee on the Mall and took a stroll to the White House. It was surprisingly well camouflaged, it can't really be seen from the street, which explains why I walked past it despite following the signs. Good thing GPS/Google Maps is standard on a smartphone. The cherry blossoms are starting to bloom and I can't wait to go back to do some more exploring! :)
The Presidency: The Glorious Burden exhibit opened with this quote by LBJ: The presidency has made every man who occupied it, no matter how small, bigger than he was and no matter how big, not big enough for its demands. I thought it was quite fitting and indeed a profound way to view the Commanders in Chief. I was really excited to view the First Lady exhibit, but disappointed to find it focused mostly on fashion and hostess duties. There were a lot of plates involved. As much as I feel fashion and cookware belong in a discussion of history, I felt there was a lack of...substance. Very little attention was paid to the actions of the First Ladies- a handful of panels at the most. Where was the discussion of powerhouses like Abigail Adams, who advised her husband? Where was Eleanor Roosevelt's civil rights activism? First Ladies did and do more than just wear couture gowns and set out plates, they involve themselves in politics as well, and not enough attention was paid to their important roles. Instead of simply reaffirming the First Lady's roles (and, by extension, American women's roles), there should have been more discussion on how First Ladies crossed the accepted boundary of "hostess" by engaging politics and causes. I really wanted to like this exhibit, but it left something to be desired.
The exhibits that surprised me were the Americans on the Move and FOOD exhibitions. In highlight the past through common, every day, mundane and often overlooked events like travel, movement and eating, the NMAH created a space for inter-generational discussion and bonding. Through artifacts, I overheard families connecting with their distant as well as close relatives. In the On the Move exhibit, a woman told her tiny daughter, "See that car? It was made 13 years after grandma's grandma was born!" The woman used her family to explain the 1913 car to her young daughter by using their family story. A similar thing happened in the FOOD exhibit when a mother told her son, "Growing up I had a stove just like that!" These artifacts can foster discussion that allows families to bond with and understand each other as well as to contextualize the lives of their ancestors. I don't know if this was NMAH's intent, but it produced genius results! I really like these types of exhibits because even young children can immerse themselves in the past in a way that is different than hearing stories. They can see the old car, touch the old stove, look at old produce labels and experience history in a way that is not possible during story telling. That is not to say the other exhibits lack these qualities- each exhibit panel was structured so that their were multiple levels of understanding- from children and families to academics. However, the food and travel exhibits foster discussion because everyone eats and everyone travels, meaning every person who sees the exhibit can find some point at which they connect. And that's the important part, right?
Our stories will live on best when we can connect with the past.
After the NMAH, I enjoyed a cup of coffee on the Mall and took a stroll to the White House. It was surprisingly well camouflaged, it can't really be seen from the street, which explains why I walked past it despite following the signs. Good thing GPS/Google Maps is standard on a smartphone. The cherry blossoms are starting to bloom and I can't wait to go back to do some more exploring! :)
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