This summer, on
June 23, the National Center for Civil Human Rights will open in Atlanta.
According to USA TODAY, the museum will focus more on stories, not memorials in
order to make the exhibit an interactive experience. The director in charge of
the exhibit states, "My whole ambition is to empower people to feel like
they're in charge of their own journey.”
USA TODAY gave
an example of the experience visitors will experience during the exhibit. “Visitors
will sit on stools with their hands on a replica lunch counter while wearing
headphones. They will hear abuse heaped on them and the people sitting near
them and will actually feel their stools jostled by angry counter-protesters.
They'll be timed on how long they can ignore their tormentors; a stopwatch in
front of them will stop when they take their hands off the counter.” The
purpose of having this is to make people more emotionally engaged, but how
realistic will this exhibit be?
It was also
reported how several items that were purchased from the King family at 32
million dollars will be in a gallery acting as a
centerpiece of the museum. These items range from handwritten sermons and
speeches, a telegram from President Lyndon B. Johnson, letters, his report
cards, and college essay books. The article mentions how the civil rights
gallery is connected to the human rights gallery. How do you all think this may
affect the experience of the visitors?
According to O'Mara, Bryanna Leigh-Anne
Marie, “museums today have the possibility of acting as a social changer or
influencer within a community by exhibiting current topics, emotional issues,
or counter-cultural subjects for the further education and inspiration of
visitors.” The disadvantage associated these exhibits can cause many negative
responses at a local and national level. It is interesting how director and
playwright George C. Wolfe was hired in order to make a different approach
“unlike any other civil rights museum.” My question is how “different” will
this approach be? Can the museum be as interactive as the designers hope to
implement? Will people really be able to understand the struggles and the
adversity faced during the civil rights movement? On the other hand, I do
believe having a museum like this in Atlanta is a great location due to
Atlanta’s important role in the movement.
Source:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/19/atlanta-civil-rights-museum-king/7819949/
I love the idea of an interactive museum. For me, hands-on experiences always lead to me gaining a deeper understanding of the subject. However, I don't understand why people will be timed on how long they can put up with people tormenting them at the lunch counter. I believe that the experience itself will be enough for anyone visiting the museum to understand just how difficult and horrible it was.
ReplyDeleteAlso, is this museum funded privately or publicly? Although all of the artifacts from Martin Luther King Jr. are extremely significant, if the museum is publicly funded, I don't know how I could justify 32 million dollars of taxpayers money going towards buying these things from one family.
I am hesitant about supporting the interactive portion in which the visitor's time themselves on how long they can stand being tormented because this would have a large impact on the first round, yes. At the same time, this shock factor would be effective if there is a conversation or discussion in group that is able to unpack the feelings that the visitors experienced. If this is just an "activity" I don't know that it would be a very productive way to get the point across of what the people participating in these non-violent actions felt.
DeleteI also like the idea of an interactive museum because I think people make better connections when they are experiencing things first hand. I think it is impossible for anyone from our generation to fully understand the pain and the torment people experienced during the civil rights movement. Exhibits like this, though, lead to a better understanding than simply reading a poster or a plaque.
ReplyDeleteI also think it will be interesting to see all of the artifacts purchased from the King family. Seeing his report cards and college essays will help people to better relate to him and understand that he was a person just like any of us. It may even inspire people to change the world around them.