Professor Steven Lubar came out to talk to the Students and Staff of Temple University about the state of libraries, museums and other public institutions this past week.  He started by giving us some prepared statements where he stated museums will be changing in the next 20 years.  Professor Lubar believed this to be so because of the breakdown of the titles of people working within the museum.  He mentioned Curators, Educators and the Exhibit Designer.  (When asked about Archivist, he did not put much weight to their work.)  Professor Lubar is a strong proponent of the Digital Age of Storage.  He does stress that digital is just one new tool in the museum to help reach people as the museum turns from Objects and Knowledge to Audience and Social Spaces.  He also believes that people are co-creating digital history with Web 2.0. 

            Professor Lubar’s views are not too far off base to be dismissed.  Certainly, there has been a significant shift in the way knowledge is gained and accessed by today’s generation.  Most college students would rather access information from the internet while sitting in their room in their pajamas.  When a subject is given to them that they are not familiar with, most turn to Wikipedia to learn about the topic.  Museums are moving some of their collections online in the hopes that those that see it will feel compelled to visit the museums.  Seeing an image online is different from seeing it in person and that hope has museums taking a chance on the digital collections. 

This tactic has me pondering the following question, who owns the rights to that photo?  When the image in placed on the information superhighway, it is open to anyone with an IP address.  Anyone with internet access has an IP address.  The museum may hold the artifact in house, but can others capture the image?

An Archived World of Medicine

According to our reading, Stephen Greenblat defines wonder as “the power of the displayed object to stop the viewer in his or her tracks, to convey an arresting sense of uniqueness, to evoke an exalted attention.”  He must have left the Mutter Museum when he developed that definition.

The Mutter was filled with archive records of medical oddities that were fascinating.  To believe that this was once an education center for physicians that was used to display rare cases.  Some of the displays allowed me to wonder if they were for education or just for show.  The collection of skulls did not teach me something as much as the tour guide telling us how they came into possession.  Perhaps it is my level and type of education that did not allow me to learn something new because many of the display cases were written for a practicing physician.   

The way items were displayed allows visitors to see the way in which they were stored for later review.  Using embalming methods once thought to be a good preservative now known to be toxic, the condition of the displays allowed for observation by visiting physicians.  They ability of the early collectors and by Dr. Mutter himself (since many of the displays came from his private collection), shows the care put into the archiving process. 

The archiving process is perhaps more important at the Mutter because most of the displays are living tissue.  Unlike the Besty Ross house, or the Franklin Institute, displays there would last years without extensive care.  One room in the Besty Ross house is walled off by glass without the benefit of a vacuum to keep air out preserving the wood and other materials.  That is okay because the items on display are not really archived as it can be replaced by similar items without the knowledge of visitors.  The Mutter does not have the same option because their items are still used by people to do research.

Overall, the Mutter is an interesting museum that those with weak constitutions should avoid but those that enjoy things close to morbid would be entertained.  The ability to take pictures was not allowed, which helps to keep the mystique, as word of mouth is the only means to describe the experience.  The web site is purposely devoid of pictures so that everyone has to experience the place for himself or herself. 

How America Is Viewed By Others

Studying America via literature and the News Media can have a negative effect on those within the borders of America and can make America look like the big bully in the playground trying to take someone’s toy.  Many of the comments written by the students from the UK who are studying our way of life would be fascinated to learn that what you see on the telly is not what you experience in person.  For example, watching the BBC has you think that every British citizen drinks nothing but tea but on a recent trip to London, I was able to walk to most any neighborhood and not only see a Starbucks, there was a line inside.  When I entered Starbucks and stood in line, most of the orders were for coffee and some hot chocolate, very few orders of tea. 

America is not perfect and we use the media to keep us in line.  The freedom of press is so important in America, it can drive you insane by trying to avoid it.  However, you must not let all your news comes from one source and especially a biased source such as Fox News.  While I do watch Fox, I dilute it with equal amounts of MSNBC and CNN.  When I want to learn how others view America, I watch or read BBC news because it does not lean left or right.  Just straight news that gives an unvarnished view of America. 

Hollywood does not represent America but is reflective of what is going on in America.  Directors like Oliver Stone and Michael Moore are one side of the spectrum while Mel Gibson and Clint Eastwood are strong opposition.  Movies (and books) like “To Kill a Mockingbird” held a mirror to our views and it did show in the cinema at the right time.  Unlike “Malcolm X”, which did not reflect the current standings of African Americans but did appear at a time where tensions were high in race relationships with news story of the Rodney King beating and the OJ Simpson trial. 

Shows on television do not reflect America as well.  The majority of shows are not reflective of everyday citizens and the reason for that is the middle class and below want to reflect on the troubles that money can buy.  Watching “Gossip Girl” and “The OC” allows us to see people who did not really worry about money but deal with the treachery of each other.  While the everyday citizen is concerned with earning enough to pay bills and keep a job, it is a guilty pleasure to watch a family backstabbing each other to inherit millions.

As for being a World Superpower, that is a role that we relish and hate.  We relish it because it shows that people understand that what we are trying to do is for the best for the world, not just for us.  We hate it for the fact that people think we are using it to push little countries around.  President Bush did just that to Iraq.  None of the reasons that led us to remove Saddam from power were true.  Still today, he is going around saying that while the reasons were flawed, it was still for the good of the world because we have spread democracy.  I think the cost was too high to pay.  I miss every single American soldier, sailor and airman who lost their life to follow a cause that was led with lies.  Nevertheless, as a world power, we have to go forth and do those tough things that others are too afraid to do.

Fortunately, we have a strong ally in the UK.  Brave people who know that the tough jobs need to be done.  I think they are just as brave as any American is and I gladly stand beside them if they should ever call for help.

Museum or Historical Site?

Eastern State Penitentiary, one of America’s most famous prisons, resembles an American Castle when approached from the outside. With 30 foot walls and iron gates, one is filled with the feeling of visiting royalty rather than a prison.  Even after passing through the gates, it does not feel like a prison until you enter the first cellblock.  All thoughts of royalty escape as you see a row of small doors on either side with decrepit conditions inside each dark cell.

Opened in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) operated for over 142 year before shutting down and left to rot in 1971.  Saved from demolition and opened to the public as a historical site in 1994, ESP has found a new kind of success.  As our tour guide Nick said, it is the new “Scared Straight.”  As Henning wrote, “Even where the museum appears unintelligible to visitors, it can still work to habituate them to certain kinds of modern experience.”  This experience would be to stay out of prison because the conditions are not suited to someone who enjoys their freedom.  ESP was designed to offer the experience of a solipsistic lifestyle. 

As such, it is not a museum but a historical site because it is not asking the visitor to take in the beauty of design but the advancements in building designs that are used for the time when each prisoner has flushing toilets and heat when the President uses a piss pot in the White House.  The first of its kind and copied by many others, it is a model of what works and what does not. 

Franklin Institute's Electricity

Visiting the Franklin Institute is always good for learning something new.  This visit was about learning how to create an interactive, learning experience that still entertains the visitors. As a visitor, I took in the displays and was awed by the many sights at first.  The display of blinking lights for the cell phone calls called the “Electrical Signals” wall resembled an early Christmas display.  The Tesla Coil shooting off during the presentation was exciting and loud. The Sustainable Dance Floor makes even the least active people want to jump up and down.

As a student, I enjoyed the way the displays are laid out and opened toward other areas of the Franklin Institute.  The Nervous System display leading to the Heart, the Lightning Origins leads to the Earth Entry and the Lightning Mural leads to the Air displays.  The touch screen displays located in various locations allowed me to use 21^st century technology to learn how electricity works for me. 

As a Critic, I could not help but notice that some things just did not work for me.  One simple task was to build a circuit to see how it works. When more than three circuit legs were connected, the experiment did not work.  Some attempts to make the dance floor work did not work and even the entertaining Compromising Choices video game was confusing and the Green City Collaborative did not change colors as advertised.  I did notice an employee of the institute walking around with a clipboard running tests to ensure the interactivity and taking notes, but I did not notice any action taken.  With no class trips going through the display, I could not tell if some of the displays would entertain children.  I am sure that the Tesla Coil would catch their attention, but with it going off only once an hour, it would lose them quickly.

Overall, this display adds to the whole Franklin Institute experience and plays well into the history of Benjamin Franklin as well as science.  It ties in nicely to other exhibits and it has a 21^st century look and feel.  As a member of the institute this is not an area I was familiar with, as it seems hidden behind the Earth exhibit.  I believe more announcements should be made so that visitors get back there and perhaps some way to keep track of the number of visitors to the exhibit would help to improve the experience.

Philadelphia Museum of Natural Science

The Museum of Natural Science located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a current, fascinating look at a modern living museum.  The Dioramas provide a three dimensional view of animals in what may be considered a natural environment.  The sound of rushing water near the sea creature display even had me looking for the sea.  I watched a small child giggle with glee watching his mother run from dinosaurs on a large screen.  Jesse Smith asks how do these diorama makes us feel and I felt like a child myself.  Never having traveled to some of these remote locations that are displayed in the dioramas, I can view them with a bit of a skeptics’ eye because I would have to accept the settings as true rather than know for a fact if it is so.  Viewing the displays leaves me wondering if what I am seeing is the work of a taxidermist or an elaborate job

Jesse also asks why the paintings in the background are so bad and that is easy to understand, you do not want the viewer to be so impressed with the background, that he misses the foreground.  No image I saw behind any of the diorama appeared to be in high definition.  That is okay because visitors are not there to take in the art behind the animals.  The scenes looking the way they do is helps to show the strength of each animal.  The polar bear with the seal beneath his paw, the gorilla standing tall and the moose looking down on you each give you a sense of strength and ownership of his diorama.

Overall, I really enjoyed this visit and plan to make it a regular stop and next time, I will bring my camera.

Betsy Ross Home

The home many call the Betsy Ross’ House is located on a small street in the Old City section of Philadelphia.  A cozy house museum, with the aid of the Audio tour, visitors breeze through relatively quickly.  Sprinkled throughout the house are placards and displays that show what the life of a seamstress would be like in the late 18^th century. 

Upon entering the historic home, visitors are greeted by a souvenir section that obscures the view of the ticket window.  Presumably, like the way it was when it was a merchant store.  The existing displays are as if Betsy Ross is still staying at the home, as she did from 1773 to 1785 as claimed.   There are a few interactive displays but most are kept behind a glass partition where it is hard to verify the authenticity of the artifacts.  Two displays are fact or fiction placards that both state the same false myth about colonial heights. 

The audio portion of the tour slowed down the tour to a painful crawl.  The oral presentation allowed visitors to linger too long in each room when there was not enough space for visitors to congregate.  If a visitor to the city wants to visit the home, they would best be served by skipping the audio portion of the tour.  Overall, it is a nice piece of history even if we can not verify the accuracy of the claims.

Wagner Free Institute of Science

My visit to the Wagner Institute was not what I expected.  Having traveled to many museums through my journeys in America and abroad, I expected to see a modern day building with many of the modern features. Instead I stepped through time to what seems, the late 19^th or early 20^th century.

Having missed the class visit to the Wagner Institute, I found myself at a disadvantage.  I did not get a guided tour and no one to ask any questions or to direct my questions towards.  The staff was so busy, they almost could not take my donation.  But I also considered it advantageous because I was not limited to what I saw or where I could go.  I spent time looking over some items that interested me while skipping those that did not.

From the outside rundown look to the heavy wooden doors and hardwood floors, you are stepping into another time.  I was thinking that this stuff is so old, I may not learn or see something new.  I was very wrong. 

Yes, many of the displays were old and the gems and minerals were identical to others, but the fossils and animals were different.

I had never been so close to a Bald Eagle, dead or alive, in my life.  I never knew a horse’s spine protruded the way it does and I never knew that Mastodons lived in North America as few as 5000 years ago.  The bat display made understanding how their sonar works and how other animals do not stand a chance of hiding.  I never knew so many types of squirrels existed.

This may not be the fanciest museum I have ever visited, but it is highly recommended for a nice trip in time.

Dr. Karen Cox's Visit

History is written by the victors, but is history also written by Hollywood?  The Civil war was a battle between the Union forces of the North and the Confederate army of the South for the future of the United States.  Dr. Karen Cox made a case that the knowledge and feelings many have towards the South was sold to us first by movies, then by television.

Dr. Cox talked about how the South is romanticized by the North, how men are respectful and women are soft and gentile.  This is in direct contrast to the North where the men are brutes and women loose.  She mentioned shows like the Andy Griffin show and movies like Gone with the Wind. 

I understand that Hollywood embellishes to create drama and suspense but I find it difficult to believe that these are ideas that spring out of the talking heads in Hollywood.  I tend to believe the South was not like the movies for the majority of the people and that it more closely resembled “Roots” than “North and South”.  I do not believe that the Slaves were happy; they were treated harshly and believe that they were always trying to escape. 

I did not feel any connection with Dr. Cox’s talk and realized that it may be my own images of the South.  To be completely fair, I am a strong believer of right and wrong and love America very much.  My first interaction with the history of the south was watching the mini-series “Roots” and it may be still influencing my views now.  I also did not like the Civil War because it was about Americans fighting other Americans.  I want this country to be strong and felt this war affected America’s development to be the greatest country in the world.