Having recently returned from Los Angeles as a "Voice of the Smithsonian" in support of the traveling exhibition, "America's Smithsonian," I can tell you that the things we take for granted working here each day are certainly receiving lots of attention there. From Dorothy's slippers, to Abe's hat, to Alan's capsule, there was not a ticket to be had the entire three days I was there. (Thank goodness for my Smithsonian ID badge!)
As you head into downtown Los Angeles via Sixth Street, you can see the huge sign announcing "America's Smithsonian" at the Convention Center. Everyone there appeared to be excited about the exhibition. The Los Angeles times hosted a brunch for Smithsonian staff and included teachers from all over the state; KCET-TV and other stations interviewed Smithsonian staff and everywhere those of us representing the "Voices of the Smithsonian" went, there were enthusiastic questions about the exhibition.
Some wanted to know about the particular artifacts chosen; how they were transported; how much various objects were worth. Others wanted to know, "What's it like to work at the Smithsonian?" Some people were disgruntled--wanting to know why they hadn't heard about it sooner: "I subscribe to the Smithsonian Magazine, why didn't I get a special announcement and invitation?" Some had questions about the way the exhibit was presented: "Why couldn't they have had docents there explaining what we were seeing?" "Why were the labels so low?" Why couldn't they construct a ramp so that people could see above the heads of those in front who took too much time looking at one thing? "Why couldn't we have heard the voices of Richard Petty, Alan Shepard and others highlighted in the exhibition?"
Folks asked so many questions until most of us who were not associated with the curation of the exhibition, and had not had a chance yet to see it, were very anxious to experience it for ourselves. I'm convinced that it'll be important for other "Voices" participants to take in the exhibition before they're sent to their various venues.
One of the first things you notice is how large an exhibition this is and the patience one must have to wait in long lines (which by the way moved fairly rapidly), and the requirement of all visitors to go through metal detectors. The volunteer staff at the Convention Center were very patient and cordial during my visit, even though it was only three hours before the exhibition was due to close for the night.
The majority of the people I saw were captivated by the objects themselves. I constantly heard parents saying to their children, "That's the real hat Abraham Lincoln wore!" or "That's the space shuttle that Alan Shepard actually rode in beyond the earth's atmosphere." even "Those are the real ruby slippers Dorothy wore!"
Ironically, when I returned home, one of my colleagues remarked that people in Washington, D. C. had read about the Los Angeles tour and were asking "When will we be able to see it here in D.C.?" How's that for a kick in the head!
Sometimes we miss what is in our own back yard and don't realize its significance until someone else, with another perspective, reminds us of what we really have. As Spock would say, "It is not logical, but it is often true."
In this issue of the Bulletin we focus on uses of museums--how educators use museum collections to teach history, how scholars use museum collections to enhance our knowledge and understanding. I hope that you can make good use of these articles.
Go back to CMS Bulletin page
Go to Center for Museum Studies
Go to Smithsonian Web page