Curate Your Own Adventure

I mentioned in a previous post that the last time we were in Washington we visited almost every Smithsonian. For some reason, the Air and Space Museum was not on our list. This is probably because my desire to see objects from space didn’t really develop until after we visited the Kennedy Space Center. To this day, I still haven’t experienced anything quite like seeing the Atlantis Space Shuttle. It continues to give me goosebumps. With this in mind, we made sure to  fit the Air and Space Museum into our schedule. The day before we visited the National Museum of American History. There are both strong positives and criticisms about this museum I want to cover before delving into Air and Space.

National Museum of American History Positives –

This museum has an incredible collection of objects ranging from Dorothy’s Red Slippers to the Star Spangled Banner. If you focus solely on the objects, you’ll probably enjoy what’s on offer.

One of my favourite displays was actually in the lower level cafeteria. There was a small exhibition on children’s lunchboxes throughout the ages. I loved seeing the really early examples from the 1910s and 1920s. The little wicker baskets were absolutely adorable. There was also an attempt to link the lunchboxes to wider historical moments and trends. For example, “Cool Lunches and a Cold War” explored how lunchboxes reflected the Cold War period. New designs were released showing combat scenes and the traditional steel box was slowly replaced by synthetic materials. Highlight lunchboxes included The Beatles and The Astronauts.

We were also captivated by a small temporary exhibition on medicine in World War I. The introductory panel reminded visitors of the medical innovations that came out of the War. As doctors and medics were faced with widespread casualties and increasing pressure to deliver healthcare, new machines and techniques were founded that continue to be implemented today.

In the first cabinet was a recruiting officer scale that was carried around recruitment centres to weigh prospective soldiers. You had to be of a certain weight to be deemed fit enough for service. Moving along the display, other highlight objects included a women’s medical uniform, Italian first-aid ambulance medical chest and a Carnes artificial arm. It was curated well with easy to read labels and a modern looking display. Clear shelves were used to separate the smaller objects from the large so they didn’t get lost in the whole display.

National Museum of American History Negatives –

The permanent exhibition looked incredibly dated. As if it was installed about 30 years ago and completely forgotten. In some areas, paint was peeling off the wall which was not a good look. Especially considering the walls were similar to the National Museum of Australia, incredibly bright clashing colours giving a Kindergarten or Play School vibe.

There was a real feeling of the objects being left behind. The collection is incredible, but, how it has been displayed does not do it justice. I was really shocked because last time we visited I didn’t really notice these things. Probably because I didn’t have a degree under my belt and because I was really focusing on what to see not how it had been displayed.

I would love to see a refresh of the permanent exhibitions. Bring them into the 21st century! I’ve seen what can be achieved in the smaller temporary exhibitions and I think of how marvellous the whole museum would look if done in a similar style.

National Air and Space Museum 

Moving on now to the Air and Space Museum. Similar to the American History Museum, we found some of the displays to be quite outdated. This was less of an issue here though because the size of the objects and the fact it was my first time visiting distracted me.

On arrival, we had plans to go to the food court and decide how to best see the museum. The food court was closed for planned maintenance…on a Saturday. Probably not the best day to do this. So we found ourselves a little lost. Luckily an announcement was made for a highlights tour. We made our way back to the information desk where we met our volunteer guide. In large museums I always think a highlights tour is worthwhile. You can see a lot in a short time and you get a great feel for what’s on offer.

Our guide, Jim O’Connor, was enthusiastic and clearly loved taking these tours. We were guided around both floors, stopping at the deemed “pivotal” pieces of the collection. In total the tour took around one and a half hours which I found to be just right.

Out of all the objects, my favourite was the plane that belonged to Amelia Earhart. She was an incredible and record breaking pilot in the 1920s and 1930s. Achievements included being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and the first woman to fly nonstop coast to coast of America. On her final around the world voyage, her plane went missing somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. It continues to be a mystery as to what exactly happened to Earhart. It can be safely assumed there was an accident, however, the details remain unknown.

The plane on display was the one she flew coast to coast and across the Atlantic. It is a beautiful bright red plane that is mostly original. Next to the plane were some information panels about Earhart and her achievements. Seeing a female pilot so prominently featured in the exhibition filled me with joy!

Another highlight object was the Friendship 7, a Mercury Spacecraft. Piloted by John Glenn, it orbited the earth three times in 1962. My claustrophobia set in when I saw the spacecraft. It was tiny. Sure it was designed to fit only one person, but, it was seriously small. I couldn’t imagine orbiting anything in that craft let alone landing in it!

Other objects we saw included an original Wright Brothers plane and a Douglas DC-3. My fear of flying has been somewhat alleviated by seeing these early aircraft. Considering it’s been just over 100 years since the Wright Brothers built their plane, the innovations have been unbelievable. Despite some incredibly old labels and displays, I appreciated this museum because of how the larger objects were exhibited. You walk into the Main Hall and all you have to do is look up.

It’s still an amazing feeling to walk into a museum and be filled with that sense of wonder. Out of all the Smithsonian Museums, this was the only one that really gave me that feeling. The African American History and Culture Museum was an educational experience, but, the Air and Space Museum was a chance to run around like a kid and imagine a world outside of our own.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in September 2016. It continues to be one of the most popular and visited Smithsonian Museums in Washington. After visiting the National Museum of American History, honestly the bar was set quite low for what to expect. I will definitely write about that later. As opposed to some of the other Smithsonians, this museum felt innovative and up-to-date. Even before walking into any exhibition you could already start to see this through the architecture of the building itself.

I felt very fortunate to visit this museum with two friends from my museum studies course. We tried our very best to see as much of the museum as possible. It is an absolutely massive museum with three large floors of history and four floors displaying culture. I don’t think it would be possible to see everything in one day. This isn’t a criticism because being a National museum means, in my opinion, getting as much information out there for all to read/see. It is more beneficial to commit to either seeing a different section every time or walk through at a pace stopping to read what catches your eye. I had a lot of trouble deciding what to focus on for my review. There are just so many important elements and stories that have gone into the creation of this museum. Every floor is overflowing with significant events, important messages, and opportunities to reflect on the past and the pain and suffering that continues to scar this country. It is no easy feat to nicely wrap this up in a blog post.

Instead, I’ve decided to do something I’ve never done before and let the pictures I took guide the post. In the past I have selected top images or objects, but, this will be slightly different. I took only a few photographs during my visit as I was more focused on trying to see a little bit of everything and work my way through the crowds. These photographs should give some idea of what’s held in the museum and the wide variety of stories on display.

Photograph 1

The first photograph is of a large sugar pot once used to boil down sugar cane. It is resting on a mass of sugar. This display introduced the section on the Transatlantic Slave Trade by showing one of the most sought after and life-destroying commodities of the era. The thematic panel printed on the glass was near impossible to read, but, tells the story of how sugar was more valuable than gold and responsible for the enslavement of so many people on plantations.

Photograph 2

After walking through and seeing remains of a slave ship, you come face-to-face with this image. It shows how slaves were positioned on a ship. It is from a text called “Observations Upon Negro Slavery” by Charles Crawford. Images such as these were used by abolitionists to argue the inhumane treatment of slaves.

Photograph 3

The objects pictured above include belt buckles, fragments of bottle, and an oar. They were all discovered during archaeological digs in Louisiana. For each geographical area of America where there was slavery the exhibition was organised as follows: section covering what slavery was used for in that specific location, objects, and evidence of rebellion. In the section photographed above there was information on how Africans and Native Americans worked together to hunt and trade, eventually developing their own economy.

Photograph 4

The paradox of liberty statue highlighted how the American Constitution called for equality, yet did not deliver on this promise.

Photograph 5

This wedding ring was used to marry over 400 enslaved African Americans in South Carolina. Although marriage was illegal, this did not stop many from showing their commitment to each other in a formal ceremony. It caught my attention as it is such a simple object that holds such a rich history. A small token of love welcomed in the exhibition.

As you can see though, some of the labels were designed so that unless you stood directly in front, they looked blurry. Considering most had to be read from an angle, it was quite bad on the eyes.

Photograph 6

The second floor focused on the journey to Civil Rights. This map geographically showed the location of boycotts and sit ins. It was great to see this information visually represented.

Photograph 7

One of the largest objects on display is a segregated train cart from 1923. It physically shows the inequality and segregation faced by so many.

Photograph 8

In the section on Civil Rights there is an interactive lunch counter. You can select events such as boycotts and protests and answer questions about what you may have done in that situation. It was an effective integration of digital technology that made people really think about what they had just seen on display.

Photograph 9

I skipped a whole floor of history and my next photograph was from the cultural display on visual art. This work was stunning. Created by Whitfield Lovell, it combines charcoal portraits with playing cards to represent the rise of African Americans out of slavery. The cards were found objects Lovell decided to add.

Photograph 11

My final photograph was of a huge touch screen table found in an exhibition on place. You could slide different photographs from the centre to your section of screen and explore them in more detail. Each photograph was of a place that contains some memory of the past. A particularly harrowing image was of an all whites swimming pool that told the story of how African American children were drowning in lakes as they could not access the pools with life guards. There were pools they could go to, but, lines were so long many opted for the lake.

What I have covered doesn’t even begin to reveal what is on display. It is just a tiny snapshot that will hopefully provide an idea of the displays and stories. If you have the chance, definitely visit and experience this history for yourself.