|
Stepping into the Unknown: Building a Contemporary Collection in a History Museum by
Christopher
Bensch
Over the past decade, Strong Museum has been at the forefront of collecting and exhibiting American popular culture from the past fifty years. Freed of the canons of good taste and the restrictive scope of the decorative arts, it has applied its mission and vision to the daunting scope of modern consumer culture. This presentation takes an informative look at how Strong Museum deals in a rational and realistic way with all the "stuff" that is far too young to be an antique. Abstract American history museums have traditionally devoted themselves to exploring the reasonably distant reaches of our past. Institutions have felt secure in dealing with established periods of historical "importance." Curators have assembled collections that are equally safe, filled with standard forms and styles that fit commonly-accepted thinking on what makes a "museum-quality" object. But history museums need to add the objects of contemporary everyday life-from homes, malls, basements, and garage sales-to their collections in order to give museum visitors-now and in the future-an accurate picture of life in the United States. Over the past decade, Strong Museum has been at the forefront of collecting and exhibiting American popular culture from the past fifty years. Grounded in its vast collection of middle class "stuff" and its mission to examine progress, class, and identity, the museum erased its 1940 end date and stepped into active pursuit of everyday life from the recent past. It recognized that the present makes a valuable entry point for museum visitors to approach more remote historical periods and concepts. Furthermore, if objects from 1880 can reveal significant information about individuals and their broader culture, so can objects from 1980-though seeing them clearly may require curators to set aside personal experiences and biases inspired by living through that period. At the same time, the collections staff realized that artifacts were available now that would be difficult-if not impossible or prohibitively expensive-to acquire in the future. The passing years would also undoubtedly separate those objects from their current vivid provenance, available firsthand from their buyers, owners, and users. Freed of the canons of good taste and the restrictive scope of the decorative arts, Strong Museum has applied its mission and vision to the daunting scope of modern consumer culture. Without the winnowing process of time or the accumulation of academic authentication, the curators have forged onto eBay and into VCRs and credit cards, 8-track tapes and diaphragms, Tupperware and Beanie Babies. They have built on the collection's strengths in the images and substance of American domestic life, extending existing sub-collections into the present. Distinguishing significant developments from cultural "blips" remains a challenge at such close range, but the curators have developed their skills and confidence along the way. Through ongoing, aggressive collecting and scrupulous documentation of the motivation behind curatorial choices, the collections staff has constructed a methodology that upholds the best material culture standards in a fresh context. This presentation takes an informative look at how Strong Museum deals in a rational and realistic way with all the "stuff" that is far too young to be an antique. |