Hatefull Rant.

[M.Latham]

Hello,

I would like to bring to "our" collective attention the crime being committed in our midst. This crime is being committed with your money, by your National Park Service.

http://com.miami.edu/parks/gettyvc.htm

"We will probably have less than 20 percent of our artifacts out on display. The rifles and guns and artifacts like that are not very appealing right now. Those we will put in cases right by where groups are about to go see a diorama or a movie so they will be on display but not exactly part of the museum storyline,” Katie Lawhon, public affairs specialist for the park.

We've been had, hoodwinked and bamboozled. I remember when I was a kid spending an hour staring into the relic section of the Visitor Center, and everytime I would return I knew a little more, could identify a few more items, "saw" more each time. My daughter will not have that opportunity. Your kids will not. All hail "modern" museum management.

I am sick at heart over this.

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

This sounds really disapointing...but does anyone have any idea of the scope of the Total G-burg NPS Collection and what percentage is currently on display?

Paul B.

[clconboy]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

I completely agree! I have heard various accounts that the new center would be showing anywhere to 10-15% of the items in the collection...I understand that showing redundant material should not be shown, but there are probably many items that we (the public) haven't even seen and rightfully should be on display.

Plus the comment from the 8th grade student who wants more "action" is a good indication of the current American mindset which seems to be unable to grasp anything that isn't "spoon" fed to them. A good museum should have a good mix of both displays and multimedia. As a kid age 5 I remember seeing the wall of muskets, needless to say I was in awe.

[thecivilwardude]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

While I can"t speak for Gettysburg, two years ago I spent the summer as a museum intern for Natchez National Historical Park. The museum staff then consisted of a single permanent curator and three interns who worked for ten weeks during the summer. The collection at Natchez consists of more than 100,000 objects, of which about 1,000 are displayed. I know that may not seem like a lot, but when you have a single person taking care of everything 42 weeks a year, the work load quickly piles up. At Natchez, there simply was not room to display more objects. I wish that every park could display its entire collection. As the curator of a small local history museum in Arkansas, I have about 10,000 objects in my collection and I only have about 300 displayed. I desperately want more space and better exhibit areas, but that all depends on funding, just like in the NPS.

[Michael Comer]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

I can understand the potential disappointment but what they are doing is not out of the ordinary and it may not be as bad as it seems on the surface. Most museums do not display the majority of their collection for various reasons. Space can certainly be a factor. The ability to change out exhibits and make things seem fresh to the visitor might be another. The decision to display or not display a particular item or items can hinge on any number of reasons.

I do not know how many artifacts Gettysburg has in their collection but, 20% could be a rather impressive number of items depending on what the whole is.

[M.Latham]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

"The rifles and guns and artifacts like that are not very appealing right now."

Lets see then. Does she mean that guns and other "artifacts" are:

A. Not appealing to the general public.

B. Not appealing to the cross section of the general public visiting a battlefield.

C. Not appealing to the NPS?

Hmm...

Ps. Call me reactionary but I read "artifacts" as "Confederate", but I'm old and paranoid.

[thad gallagher]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

I believe in another thread about this topic, a member in "the know" stated that the new museum would only have about 2% of the artifacts on display. If that is the way that it going to be, I would have rather they left things alone and keep the old displays. There was more "bang for the buck".

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15914&highlight=Gettysburg+museum

Thad Gallagher

[Garrett Silliman]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

One thing to keep in mind is that press releases are notoriously misleading. For example, the article speaks of the guns and other artifacts being removed as they are not as appealing, but then goes on to say

"Other new additions will include a bigger book and museum store and food services along with 11 exhibit galleries where visitors will still be able to see the popular displays of weapons and uniforms."

Now, what this may mean is that certain items have been removed from the narrative format of the overall exhibit but will still be displayed and interpreted within the museum. It may be that they will design something similar to the Chickamauga museum, which houses its gun collection (and a massive one at that) in a separate room from the main exhibit.

Who knows, but I wouldn't throw in the towel just yet.

[CJDaley]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

We will probably have less than 20 percent of our artifacts out on display. .

They only have 6% on display right now, so this is certainly an improvement. Plus they will have improved curatorial room so that any tax payer can make an appointment to view firearms and artifacts.

Let's give the museum a chance, they open in just a few weeks and I think it's great they've invested the big bucks into Gettysburg and I'm really looking forward to seeing the new design and layout of the museum.

[mslaird]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

Not to stir a hornet's nest here, but those quotes very well might mean that they are not appealing to her and her idea of what is appealing to the public. It would suprise most beginning historians, early college students mainly, and folks who do not see the bureaucracy on a routine basis exactly what kind of folks are managing things in a lot of the museums, definatley not all thank God but quite a few.

"The rifles and guns and artifacts like that are not very appealing right now."

Lets see then. Does she mean that guns and other "artifacts" are:

A. Not appealing to the general public.

B. Not appealing to the cross section of the general public visiting a battlefield.

C. Not appealing to the NPS?

Hmm...

Ps. Call me reactionary but I read "artifacts" as "Confederate", but I'm old and paranoid.

[Dignann]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

Many years ago, I had the pleasure to spend 18 months as a museum aid, working in the curatorial offices of Gettysburg NMP. I was fortunate enough to gain intimate knowledge of the collection. One thing we must keep in mind is that much of the collection is not in a condition to be displayed. Before an artifact can be put on display it must be in a stable condition, and much of the equipment and uniform items not currently on exhibit require conservation. Also, not everything in the Gettysburg collection is worth exhibiting. There is much that the park inherited from the Rosensteels that is nothing more than relics. Dug and excavated shell fragments, canteens, bullets, etc. make up a good portion of what is currently in storage.

As a kid growing up in Gettysburg, the rifle and musket display was my favorite. I used to make repeated visits, just to view the various types and models of longarms, as well as pistols. When I worked there, however, I had the opportunity to observe how average visitors reacted to these displays. I came to the conclusion that they were a waste of space. Sure, there are many of us who can appreciate the scores of rifles and muskets, but the average visitor's eyes glazed over and they spent very little time with these displays.

In a museum, artifacts should either tell a story or complement the story being told. Simply lining the walls with artifacts is not an effective museum exhibit. For many of us, the old museum was a special place and any change will be difficult to deal with. I, too, am concerned that the story line may short change the potential use of the collection, but I will reserve my opinion until I have seen what they have come up with in the new visitor center.

Eric

[Busterbuttonboy]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

Fellas
Although not being privy to a large collection is a disappointment, I need to agree with Erik. As a student of Historic Preservation I will best leave the object assessments and hence their lifespan to the curator. We have not seen the available space, and I would assume and trust that they are able to determine which of their objects are most suited to the new exhibits. Objects that have been out for a dozen years do need some time in collections to breath. Exhibits are not permanent, and I am sure they will be rotating them. For those of you interested in how a museum operates and to what standards they must be held, please refer to the AAM Code of Ethics:

http://www.aam-us.org/museumresources/ethics/coe.cfm

Some other light reading; The National Park Services Artifact Conservation bibliography:

http://www.nps.gov/hfc/products/cons/contents.htm

Finally, the Textile Museum in Washington, may offer some insight on how textiles are managed on and off display:

http://www.textilemuseum.org/care/brochures/guidelines.htm#proper

Most Respectfully
Drew Gruber

[M.Latham]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

Chris,

I would love to be proven wrong.

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

They only have 6% on display right now, so this is certainly an improvement. Plus they will have improved curatorial room so that any tax payer can make an appointment to view firearms and artifacts.

Let's give the museum a chance, they open in just a few weeks and I think it's great they've invested the big bucks into Gettysburg and I'm really looking forward to seeing the new design and layout of the museum.

Chris,

Thanks for clarifying this a bit...I was pretty sure that very little (~6%) of the collection was on display...so increasing the display to 20% is a huge improvement.

And I don't see how anyone could take from the referenced article that there would be less emphasis on the CS Army...you can't have a one-sided battle.


Paul B.

[GASharpshooter]

Re: Hatefull Rant.

The new storyline will short change the entire experience, unfortunately. It's not hard to guess which display of "artifacts" will be the largest in the new center.