Anth 159a

After noticing the dual entrance to the Keith Washington and Kevin Sipp exhibit at Brandeis University, I was intrigued as to how this may have altered our perceptions of the work. Originally the introduction and conclusion to this piece (along with a few salient points) were simultaneously read in Swahili for effect. However, technological problems have prevented that part from being posted. Thus, all the remains is the originally recorded voice segments set to African drum music.

Given the issues we’ve been working through in this course, Governor Pataki’s decision, reported in the NY Times this morning, to scrap the Freedom Center Museum at Ground Zero in NYC is absolutely fascinating. I suppose one way of thinking about this is in terms of Greenblatt’s gem of an essay, “Resonance and Wonder” in which he distinguishes between two functions of the museum — emphasizing “resonance” (the interconnections and broader contexts in which a given work of art or displayed object may be understood) and “wonder” (the primary sense of awe inspired by the unique work of art, artifact, or natural element.) The proposed museum was geared towards “resonance” –placing, the Times reports, the events of 9-11 in the broader context of the global history for freedom. The families that opposed the museum appear not to have liked that idea at all, and to have been more geared towards a memorial that would emphasize “wonder” in Greenblatt’s sense. What other readings on museums and memorials might cast light on this –the latest chapter in the long, painful search for a satisfactory ’solution” to Ground Zero?

Welcome to our web log (blog) for the course Museums and Public Memory at Brandeis University (Fall 2005) I hope this will be useful shared space in which we can all share ideas about the moral and political dimensions of museums and memorials, and also discuss our work with our community partners in the West Medford Afro American Remembrance Project.

Please take a few moments to introduce yourself and explain a little bit about your interests in museums and/or in this course.

thanks,
Mark Auslander