Hi Everyone,
A few ideas off the top of my head, along with some pros and cons ...
Moving Peoples: The Story of American Migration (huge topic; relevant to
contemporary issues -- basically, why we live where we live; can spark
discussions of suburbanization, ghettoization, urban renewal, ethnic
enclaves, etc.; could include Depression-era migration, the Great Migration,
others)
To Market, To Market (a look at the emergence and evolution of market-based
economies in America; this could be structured less as an abstraction but
rather as "how have times changed" sort of thing -- trade and barter,
general store, department store, the move from personal-based to
market-based transactions; "new" economy; moving from paternal work
arrangements to labor markets ... this could encompass globalization, etc.;
written here, this doesn't sound half as interesting as it did in my head
... but it does lend itself to contemporary issues)
The American Workday: 1492 to Present (less didactic, more photo- and
object-based exhibition of the workday of, say, 20 Americans; could prompt
discussions of work and identity, what jobs mean to people, changing
economies, domestic work, etc.; it could be structured chronologically,
looking at American workers from contact to present, including Native
Americans, slaves, immigrant factory workers, etc.)
My American Story (the various incarnations of "what it means to be
American" as expressed in art and literature, from diverse voices; The Great
American Novel, what it means to be American, how "outsider" voices become
the mainstream, etc.; the "moral" of this story is that there is a different
America for each of us, and this is largely dependent on ethnicity, race,
gender, location, etc.; would lend itself to local programming)
Sorry for the length of the message -- feel free to thrash away!
Greg
Gregory Parker
Program and Development Officer
Michigan Humanities Council
119 Pere Marquette Drive, Suite 3B
Lansing, MI 48912
517.372.7770 (ph)
517.372.0027 (fax)
www.michiganhumanities.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum on Main Street [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
Harsh, Carol
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 10:29 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject:
Hi all,
It's time again to start thinking about the next MoMS exhibition, beyond
Journey Stories which will open in May/June 2009. The next exhibition would
open in 2011, so we have a little time, but we need to start thinking about
the topic.
The MoMS staff has decided to throw it out to you in the Council world to
help us think about good exhibition topics. Please think about broad themes
or ideas that you think will make a good MoMS exhibition--music or food, for
example. As you know, its a little tricky to find a good topic, because it
needs to be a national story with a strong local connection. It is this
local connection that really makes the difference. Every town in every
state in the country needs to be part of the national story. It can't be too
narrow or regional. People at the local level need to feel passionate about
it. We have found that topics are most successful that focus on Americana
and allow for celebration while also inspiring serious reflection and
sharing at the community level.
So, please give us your best ideas about topics. Please share on the
Listserv so that others can consider your ideas.
After about two weeks we will call an end to the broad theme discussion and
try to narrow our discussion to a five or six ideas. Then, we will task all
of you to help us find a curator and even an existing exhibition that we
could adapt to make it a MoMS story. Several of our last few exhibitions
are sort of made from scratch, so to speak, and for staffing and financial
reasons, we feel that it is very important for this next one to draw from an
existing body of research and scholarship.
So, have at it. Give us your best ideas!!! We are all ears.
Kind regards,
Carol
Carol Harsh
Co-Director, Museum on Main Street
Smithsonian Institution
P.O. Box 37012, MRC 941
Washington, DC 20013-7012
202-465-5267 (cell)
202-633-5333 (office)
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