One of the objects on display at the United States Holocaust Museum is a copper bowl used in the Treblinka concentration camp. There is nothing aesthetically special about this bowl unless you consider its imperfections–the dents in the bowl or its rust orange color–to be unique. There are many bowls that were used in the Treblinka concentration camp. The question becomes what makes this bowl special, and why was it this bowl taken away from the camp? One bowl can lead us to the bigger questions about what makes any object significant for display in a museum? Why is one object chosen over similar objects to represent history? Continue reading
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Reimagining of the VHS
The Virginia Historical Society (VHS) is in the process of spending $38 million on reimagining its museum. The purpose of this extensive redesign is to better educate people on Virginia’s history and to increase visitors to the museum. Having the opportunity to visit the exhibit in progress showed the limitation that space places on an exhibit. Issues dealing with exhibit design, artifact selection, and the ways that Virginian history will be told must be addressed within the given space of the museum. The ways that the museum space will be utilized will be influenced by the decisions of historians, exhibit designers, and even those on the board of the museum. Continue reading