A thoughtful response to my post on the Jewish Museum’s “The Whole Truth” exhibit. Although I can see why some people might be offended, saltdragon brings up some good points:
“Good to see talk of this circulating again. I’m Jewish, and I support this exhibition. As you point out, the show is not simply comprised of the “Jew in a box” aspect, but also presents a variety of documentary material and artifacts. A lot of critics seem to miss this. Regarding criticism of the show as dehumanizing, specifically, I think it misses the mark. The people exhibited are volunteers, because they have chosen to be there it is fundamentally different from how we were forced into boxcars to be shipped off and murdered decades ago. I do not think that such an association is unintentional, however. This exhibition is meant to force goyim to confront how they “box” us off in their minds – essentialize us – and to force them to confront how this has lead to actual confinement and murder. This show displays our humanity and at the same time displays how it has been denied.”
The Jewish Museum in Berlin was definitely a meaningful experience for a museologist (and half-Jew) like me. But it sounds like their current exhibit “The Whole Truth” is causing a lot of controversy in more ways than one. To help educate postwar generations who are largely uninformed and have no memories of Nazi Germany, various Jewish people sit on a pink felt cushion in a glass box each day and talk to visitors. People ask such questions as “Why are you always causing trouble?”, “Do Jews have big noses?”, “How does someone become a Jew?” and “Can you make jokes about the Holocaust?” Basically it’s like a sequel to one of my favourite Woody Allen films, Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Jews* (*But Were Afraid To Ask). Since the museum opened in 2001, thousands of comments have been collected in its 800 visitors’ books. The curators whittled down 32 of the most frequently asked questions, which serves as the backbone of the exhibit. The most popular question “Are there still Jews in Germany?” is the reason behind the controversial “Jew in the Showcase”. Some believe it to be contrived or dehumanising. The idea of a living Jew serving as a museum display in the former capital of the Nazi Reich has touched a nerve. A woman on the museum’s Facebook page wrote, “Our grandparents and friends spent enough time in boxcars on the way to concentration camps. How dare you!” Some have compared it to Adolf Eichmann in a bulletproof box at his trial in Israel, others are reminded of animals displayed at the zoo. Although it was meant to be educational and thought-provoking, there is more to see than just the “Jew in a box” piece. Throughout the display, literary and documentary voices speak out about the Jewish identity, controversial opinions, social debates, counter questions, and the effects of stereotypical images. There are also a number of historical artifacts. The exhibit runs through September of 2013.
Ever heard of bauxite? Apparently it’s the main source of aluminum. And there’s actually a town in Arkansas named after it, which is appropriate considering that’s also the state where you can find the Gann Museum. Built in 1896 as the medical offices for Dr. Dewell Gann Sr., it is the only known structure in the world to use bauxite aluminum ore as its building material. According to the historical marker out front, “the building was constructed by patients who could not afford to pay for services he rendered them. The soft stone was dug from a farm near by, sawn into blocks with a handsaw and allowed to harden for six weeks.” The three-room structure had separate entrances and waiting rooms for the ladies and men. Why, you ask? It was to assure female patients that they could avoid exposure to any rough dudes like railroad or industrial workers. Anyway, the building was used as a medical office until 1946, then became a library, and in 1980 was turned into a FREE museum. Today it houses memorabilia, photographs, and artifacts from Arkansas’s past. Visitors can see Dr. Gann’s old desk and medical correspondence, a vast Niloak pottery collection, old wood carvings, Quapaw and Caddo Indian crafts, and weird stuff like a mid-19th century tombstone marker in the shape of a butter churn.
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Yesterday I told you about the brand-new ABBA Museum in Stockholm, but that’s not the only random music museum in existence. Even though Canada is the home of respectable musicians like Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell (let’s forget about Avril Lavigne, Céline Dion, Nickelback, and the rapper called Snow), those people do not have museums. But in Springhill, Nova Scotia one random Canadian musical artist does. Yes, if you’re ever around those parts, you can visit the Anne Murray Centre. You might be too young to know who the hell she is (unless you watched this episode of Family Guy), but this is a woman who has sold over 50 million albums so I guess it’s not completely crazy that she would have some kind of shrine. While many celebrity museums struggle to stay open (R.I.P. Liberace Museum) this doesn’t seem to be happening here, even though this super-mellow adult pop star isn’t as popular as she was back in the 70s with such hits like “Songbird”. Open since 1989, the museum is the typical mix of awards, photographs, videos, and memorabilia. Only true fanatics would get excited over the dress Anne wore in the Rose Bowl parade of 1971…Anne’s first stereo system…Anne’s wedding certificate…Anne’s gold records…photos of Anne posing with various celebrities. You can even pretend to be one of those celebs and pose next to a cardboard cutout of Anne!!! Life doesn’t get any better than this, folks.
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I don’t know if I’m scared to fly, but I certainly hate it, especially when it involves long ass overseas trips. Always remember to take an airline that serves free alcohol or you’ll be sorry. Probably the worst part of traveling is all the time spent waiting in airports due to delayed or connecting flights. Instead of buying overpriced, shitty food or killing time by recharging your laptop, go to the library, museum and casino. Yes, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has all those things, plus “resting rooms” with reclining chairs you can nap in. Now that’s what I call a waste of time well spent. Oh, and you can even get married there. Geez…why go anywhere else? Everything you need is right at the freakin’ airport. So what is this airport museum like? Well, it’s actually a satellite of the Rijksmuseum. Located on Holland Boulevard, in the area behind the passport control between the E and F Pier, the museum is open every day from 7:00 until 20:00 (that’s a pretty long time, yo!) and admission is free. It houses a permanent exhibition of ten works by Dutch masters from the museum’s collection with new temporary exhibitions a few times a year. Believe it or not, this first-ever airport museum just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Anyway, I strongly support more airports doing this kind of thing. When I fly this summer, I fully expect to see pop-up museums in every terminal. And reclining chairs!
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