[Bcma-l] (Fwd) CMA Clip Serv: Museum of Ideas, Not Atorcity &
Insult
bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
Wed, 27 May 2009 09:33:12 -0700
Many thanks to Cuyler for his thought-filled piece. I have not had any
similar experience but from the first I heard of our proposed museum of
human rights I have feared it would simply be a litany of human wrongs.
Atrocities may be an easier sell, but is it any more than pandering to
low tastes? I would much prefer to see an utterly positive take which
celebrates the efforts, sacrifices, and accomplishments of those who
have helped compile what we now see as "human rights" with the
atrocities mentioned only in passing and to the extent to which they are
necessary to tell the story.
Val Patenaude
Maple Ridge Museum & Archives
bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca wrote:
> Museums of Attitudes, Morals and Ethics certainly walk a fine line.
>
> In 2000, I chanced to visit the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles,
> and was struck by the fact that it was more a museum of intolerance
> than of tolerance. All the exhibits focused on atrocities. One
> memorable exhibit had a map of the USA with stars showing the
> locations of chapters of the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis and other hate
> groups. I do not recall an exhibit about champions of tolerance and
> their accomplishments, only visuals showing those who had been gunned
> down. There was nothing to inspire new attitudes except perhaps the
> personal shock of seeing examples of degradation. Considering the
> fact that it was called a Museum and that you had to pay admission, it
> seemed to be totally geared to speaking to those already committed to
> the mind-set of the designers.
>
> The entry to the museum's exhibits began favourably with a little
> introductory lecture about the need to promote tolerance in our world,
> and then a choice of entry to the exhibit gallery through either of
> two doors, one with a big sign saying "Those with prejudice enter
> here." and the other saying Those without prejudice enter here." The
> second one was locked shut, so you actually had no real choice which
> to go through. From there on the guided tour became progressively
> domineering, eventually leaving me with the feeling of being
> totally oppressed and dominated by the guide and the exhibit
> sequence. Although the dioramic galleries representing second world
> war gas chambers were emotionally provoking, I couldn't wait to get
> out of there because of the drill sergeant style of the guide. The
> oppressee had become oppressor in telling the story and demanding your
> quiet unquestioning acceptance of the routine. Discussion was not
> allowed.
>
> I see by their current web site that many new exhibits are now there,
> seemingly continuing to feature atrocities. I truly hope
> that somewhere there is a dynamic tribute to those who have exhibited
> the greatness of human spirit instead of only the negative
> potential. It is so easy to retell the tales of woe, but in our
> current shared culture it seems challenging to vigorously celebrate
> the positive potentials and accomplishments that might teach and
> encourage inspirational new action rather than simple avoidance of bad
> action.
>
> With continued hope,
>
> Cuyler Page
> Heritage Interpretation Services
> Victoria, BC
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca
> <mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca>
> *To:* bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca <mailto:bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca>
> *Sent:* Monday, May 25, 2009 3:17 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Bcma-l] (Fwd) CMA Clip Serv: Museum of Ideas, Not
> Atorcity & Insult
>
> Many good points.
> A couple of years ago I spent time with the Dean of Law Studies at
> the U of Vic, who was writing a book on the mistreatment of
> minorities by the dominion government.
> Among others, the Doukhobors figured prominently in this.
> Should all of these groups be in the afore mentioned /museum?/
> Here at the Doukhobor Discovery Centre we are pleased to present
> the Doukhobor experience [and mistreatment] of the Doukhobors in
> Canada.
> We are fortunate we can do this.
> If we didn't, I doubt that we too, would have a corner in this museum.
> An Irish connection: Markers to the Irish and the Doukhobors stand
> in close proximity to each other on the quarantine island of
> Grosse Isle.
>
> 2009/5/25 <bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca
> <mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca>>
>
> *EDITORIAL*
> *Museum of ideas, not of atrocity and insult*
> David O'Brien, Winnipeg Free Press, Sunday, May 24, 2009
>
> In the early days of planning for the Canadian Museum for
> Human Rights, when the concept was still being developed by
> the Asper family, I told one of their executives that I was
> sure the Irish story would figure prominently in the new
> facility and would, no doubt, have its own permanent exhibit.
> I was joking, of course, but the executive wasn’t laughing. He
> wasn’t even smiling. The grim poker face that greeted my lame
> attempt at humour said it all, namely that deciding which
> stories to tell, who would tell them and how, was going to be
> a painful exercise. The fear was that every group in Canada
> and beyond would demand its own pride of place in the museum,
> or at least a corner office.
>
> Clearly, if that was the expectation, there was going to be a
> lot of disappointment, particularly if groups like the Irish
> demanded some room in the castle.
>
> Then again, why not the Irish story? It’s a tale of woe loaded
> with hatred, famine, cultural genocide and religious
> persecution, and, finally, peace, sort of. The words holocaust
> and ethnic cleansing have even been used in connection with
> Irish suffering over the centuries. In other words, the
> Emerald Isle has all the themes that any respectable museum
> dedicated to human rights would need to educate visitors about
> respect for the dignity of man. All rolled into one convenient
> package.
>
> The Irish, it is said, saved civilization when Christian monks
> and scribes laboured to protect classic literature from the
> barbarians who ravaged Europe when the Roman Empire collapsed.
> It was the Irish, or so the story goes, who introduced this
> literature back into continental Europe. Could this new
> museum, then, be an opportunity for the land of saints and
> poets to save us once again, from ourselves?
>
> Of course, I’m joking, but then again, maybe not. Maybe
> there’s an O’Grady or an O’Malley out there who believes the
> Irish tragedy is too big to ignore. And who’s to say he or she
> would be wrong?
>
> Someone has to make those decisions, but it doesn’t have to be
> a painful exercise. What needs to be understood, however, is
> that the museum really isn’t a museum in the conventional
> sense. It’s actually an education centre, a school, if you
> like. The only reason it was called a museum, besides the fact
> that museum sounds better than
> educational centre, is so that it would fall within federal
> guidelines for receiving museum funding and support.
>
> The federal government doesn’t operate schools, but it does
> manage national museums. It’s not that museums aren’t
> educational, but they are built around fixed objects and
> collections, whereas the human rights museum is being built
> around ideas with the express goal of compelling visitors to
> examine their prejudices and, according to the government’s
> corporate plan, "to encourage reflection and dialogue."
>
> As it stands, the plan includes several permanent themes,
> including the Holocaust, Canadian stories, other historical
> issues that will vary with time, contemporary issues, forums
> for discussion, and multi- media presentations on a variety of
> human rights questions.
>
> Key documents, such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and
> Freedoms, and a heroes gallery, will also have a permanent
> place. All of this is subject to approval by the museum’s
> board of trustees, but the basic concepts are not expected to
> change that much.
>
> What this means is that the victims of Mao Zedong and Josef
> Stalin, who were responsible for some of the worst crimes
> against humanity, should not expect to see their stories
> enshrined at the museum. It doesn’t mean that there isn’t room
> for them in some form. In a museum of ideas, everything is
> possible, but it’s also important
> to note that every atrocity is not equal or equally valid as a
> teaching tool.
>
> The museum will be a balance of historical and contemporary
> issues, with the latter category subject to more fluidity than
> the first.
> I’ve argued before that the Holocaust — a crime committed by a
> modern, sophisticated culture — belongs in the museum because
> of its immense educational value and I won’t labour the point
> any more.
> The Irish may feel aggrieved by this slight — who, after all,
> can forget the Battle of the Boyne and the Twelfth of July —
> but they will have to adjust, perhaps by building their own
> museum in Ireland.
>
> Then again, is that really fair to the Irish? Is anyone else
> being asked to build their own museum if they’re unhappy with
> their role in our facility?
>
> It sounds difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Just think of
> it as a place that wants to change behaviour and inspire
> action, as opposed to serving as a repository for every insult
> that was ever hurled.
>
> The Irish will understand.
>
>
> --- 30 ---
>
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> --
> Larry A. Ewashen
> Doukhobor Discovery Centre
> 112 Heritage Way
> Castlegar BC V1N 4M5
> www.Doukhobor-Museum.org <http://www.Doukhobor-Museum.org>
> 250-365-5327
>