Do I think there should be more house museums? I would have to say yes, but would need to know a few things about it opening up. My first question would be, what would the museums be about? If it was something relevant to the city of Philadelphia, I would back it. Also, where would the location be? The problem I think with the Cliveden museum is it to far from Center City. Let's face it, Germantown probably around a 20-25 minute drive from all the other major museums and exhibits in the area, so it is tough for people to get there. If a new house museum would be to open up around Center City, Old City, any university, Rittenhouse, etc I would be for that because these are populated areas were people are interested and already are most the time. If the new house was set up like the Powell, I think it could be a success. But, if they set it up like the two we read about with the slaves, than they should just save the peoples time and money. The Powell house staff didn't try to hide anything about what happened there and would answer any question. When your in a place like that you need honest answers because it gives you sense on who lived there and how these people were seen in society. The biggest thing a new house museum is how are they going to approach the new world of it. Godfrey talks about how American culture has changed and so do house museums. They have to figure out a way to get people interested and involved in what they are trying to sell. If a place can do that, than it will be a museum worth opening and going to.
The one thing about house museums that you really can't get anywhere else is the feeling of being there. I did get a little goosebumps when she said that the floor we were standing on was original and then she started to name Jefferson, Washington, Adams, and other founder fathers of the country stood on the same floor. That is something you don't feel or think of everyday and is very cool. Also, when your in a house museum, usually you are in a place of someone who was important during their time. You can see where Powell, Washington, and Franklin talked about the revolution and the ideas of a new nation. I would say this was my favorite place we went to so far because of all the history you see and feel.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
America: In a different view
Walking into The Penn Museum, I expected to see the relics, paintings, statues, and the other artifacts they had. I knew they would have these things from Rome, Greece, Japan, China, Egypt, and the Middle East. The two things that I didn't expect to see were the things that I thought were the two most interesting galleries in the place; The 9/11 room and the Dopefiend area. The reasons why I think they were the two most interesting areas were because of what they each represented. Each area defines the people, places, and cultural of America at this time. 9/11 was the greatest tragedy most people in America have seen and will probably ever see. Also, when looking at the dopefiend wall, it didn't matter what race they were, black, white, hispanic. Everyone's life has been affected by the attack on September 11 and the lives of many Americans have been affected by drugs, whether it is the person taking them or the ones who love them. Also, each one shows what the museum is about, Archaeology and Anthropology.
For the September 11 memorial, they had a sign on the wall about why they had the room and why they had these items from ground zero to show. I wrote down two lines that were really interesting to me: "The challenge of archaeology is to reconstruct lost moments in time", and "Through the documents recovered history is being documented and preserved". The items that they had on display were not anything major, but it showed that things survived the attack. They had a plate from one of the towers, name tags that people would have worn on the day, and a fire alarm from one of the towers. Even though these items might not have sentimental value to a lot of people, they show the world that if these tiny things can come out the fire, so can this great nation. The dopefiend area of the museum shows the Anthropology side of it. That was one thing that I thought would never be put in a museum. People say that they don't care about dopefiends and who cares if they die. But, at the same time the pictures and the write ups that follow them, show that these are or were normal people, just like the people at the museum. The wall of photos shows the people that this kind of thing can happen to anyone at any giving time. Just as 9/11 was a tragedy, the people who are hooked on heroin and crack are the same. When the terrorist attacked our nation, I thought how could someone do that to the greatest nation in the world. But, when you read the stories of these people, you can't believe you live in the same one.
When you said that museums categorizes themselves into place and time, I immediately thought of these two. Both of these galleries are about America at this time. We proved to the world and to ourselves that this great nation can overcome any tragedy and event that is thrown in our way. People say that even though September 11 was the worst time in this country, it also showed the best in what the country is about. Even though the pictures and captions of the dopefiend gallery show what some people in America have become, there is always hope that they can return to their normal selves.
For the September 11 memorial, they had a sign on the wall about why they had the room and why they had these items from ground zero to show. I wrote down two lines that were really interesting to me: "The challenge of archaeology is to reconstruct lost moments in time", and "Through the documents recovered history is being documented and preserved". The items that they had on display were not anything major, but it showed that things survived the attack. They had a plate from one of the towers, name tags that people would have worn on the day, and a fire alarm from one of the towers. Even though these items might not have sentimental value to a lot of people, they show the world that if these tiny things can come out the fire, so can this great nation. The dopefiend area of the museum shows the Anthropology side of it. That was one thing that I thought would never be put in a museum. People say that they don't care about dopefiends and who cares if they die. But, at the same time the pictures and the write ups that follow them, show that these are or were normal people, just like the people at the museum. The wall of photos shows the people that this kind of thing can happen to anyone at any giving time. Just as 9/11 was a tragedy, the people who are hooked on heroin and crack are the same. When the terrorist attacked our nation, I thought how could someone do that to the greatest nation in the world. But, when you read the stories of these people, you can't believe you live in the same one.
When you said that museums categorizes themselves into place and time, I immediately thought of these two. Both of these galleries are about America at this time. We proved to the world and to ourselves that this great nation can overcome any tragedy and event that is thrown in our way. People say that even though September 11 was the worst time in this country, it also showed the best in what the country is about. Even though the pictures and captions of the dopefiend gallery show what some people in America have become, there is always hope that they can return to their normal selves.
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