Really, American Museum of Natural History? Really!?

I’m not sure if it is a nor’easter or not, but significant snow seems to have finally arrived in New York and classes have been cancelled. So what better thing than to watch the snow fall and write a blog entry?

Well, get ready, because today, I have a bone to pick. Yesterday I visited the American Museum of Natural History and was shocked by how bad and outdated some of their exhibits are. Now, in all fairness I should mention that there are many areas of the museum that have very dynamic, engaging exhibits. The place is huge and I didn’t even make it to some of the most popular areas such as the fossil halls and the planetarium. I did however spend a long time in the “culture halls” and found myself constantly thinking, “Whaaa? Have these exhibits been updated AT ALL in the last 40 YEARS?”

Basically, the ethnographic sections of the museum reek of the old-fashioned “look at these strange people!” exhibits of yore. After walking through a hall of animal dioramas, I entered the Hall of African Peoples, which featured uh…dioramas of African people. There was a sort of unsavory zoo-like feel to these loin-cloth wearing mannequins.

I ended up visiting all of the “culture halls” and continued to notice evidence of outdated ideas. In several of the areas, particularly in the American Indian wings, no dates were listed with any of the artifacts. The implication seemed to be that dates were irrelevant because these cultures weren’t something that changed over time. The format of the exhibits was also very old-fashioned. It really seemed like an assemblage of objects with minimal description and context. There was one label that literally said only “blanket for ceremonies.” The overall effect was alienating, and it was difficult to remain interested in the content. Many of the galleries were deserted, and people seemed to walk through quickly and pause only to take comical photographs with “strange” objects. The exhibits seemed to be based on the assumption that the people visiting were white (there was no “Peoples of Europe” gallery). There was a distinct feeling of being there to learn about some distant “them.”

So seriously, what is your excuse AMNH? By you own assertion you are “one of the world's preeminent scientific and cultural institutions.” You are located in one of the most multicultural cites in the world. How is it possible that you haven’t updated your exhibits? Aren’t you embarrassed?

I can figure only two possible explanations. One is that there might be a fondness felt for these old exhibits. I noticed on the website that the Northwest Coast Indian exhibit is “the museum’s oldest hall” and contains the spoils of an 1897-1902 expedition (this sort of proves my point, right? There was a pretty different worldview in 1902). But if it is the oldest hall, clearly someone somewhere would be splitting their tweed to hear that the museum was planning a re-vamp. Can they really use that excuse though? Education is key to the museum’s mission, so shouldn’t improved scholarship trump old-timey charm?

The other explanation is probably money. A complete revamp of all of the “culture halls” would cost millions. I shelled out $18 at the student rate which seemed exorbitant to me (feeling robbed already I refused the $2 coat check and hauled an armful of winter layers around the museum for three hours), but I realize that $18 is a drop in the bucket when you consider the personnel and facility needs of such a large museum. Even so, they clearly have resources, and good quality exhibits are essential for a world-class museum. Besides, aren’t there government agencies and private granting institutions that wet themselves with excitement when someone wants money for cultural awareness? You really can’t scrape up any cash to make non-Eurocentric, 21^st century ethnographic exhibits?

REALLY, AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY? REALLY!?

Whew. Glad I got that out of my system. I need to return to my rigorous schedule of staring out the window and petting kitties.