WRITER'S CHOICE

MUSEUM EXHIBIT ANALYSIS

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I will discuss the analysis of exhibition of International Civil Rights Center and Museum. Museum’s creation was the outcome of a long legal and financial campaign to get content of the building and a building itself, to reestablish the significant parts of the exterior and interior to the appearance of them in 1960, and to create exhibits with interactive state of art ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a1f4emic4d4","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf \\super 1\\nosupersub{}}","plainCitation":"1"},"citationItems":[{"id":600,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2RJg7y7G/items/HNM369BJ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2RJg7y7G/items/HNM369BJ"],"itemData":{"id":600,"type":"book","title":"Civil Rights Memorials and the Geography of Memory","publisher":"University of Georgia Press","number-of-pages":"240","source":"Google Books","abstract":"The creation of memorials dedicated to the civil rights movement is a watershed event in the commemoration of southern and American history, an important reversal in the traditional invisibility of African Americans within the preservation movement. Collective memory, to be sure, is certainly about honoring the past--whether it is Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthplace in Atlanta or the memorial to Rosa Parks in Montgomery--but it is also about the ongoing campaign for civil rights and the economic opportunities associated with heritage tourism. Owen J. Dwyer and Derek H. Alderman use extensive archival research, personal interviews, and compelling photography to examine memorials as cultural landscapes, interpreting them in the context of the movement’s broader history and its current scene. In paying close attention to which stories, people, and places are remembered and which are forgotten, the authors present an unforgettable story. As Dwyer and Alderman illustrate, there are reasons why memorials are not often located at the traditional core of civic space--City Hall, the Courthouse, or along Main Street--and location seriously affects their public impact. As the authors reveal, social and geographic marginalization has accompanied the creation and promotion of civil rights memorials, calling into question the relative progress that society has made in the time since the civil rights movement in America began.","ISBN":"978-1-930066-71-7","language":"en","author":[{"family":"Dwyer","given":"Owen J."},{"family":"Alderman","given":"Derek H."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2008"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} 1. It houses historical treasure which opened on the 1st of February, 2010, exact fifty years later after the first sit-in of Greenboro.

Civil Rights Museum of Greensboro offers a lot to be admired. The museum is enriched with strong magnificent artifacts, attractive historic images and films alongside interactive displays that motivate audience to explore different historical aspects. However, there are some shortcomings that hinder the museum to attain its full height. In this way, the most annoying element regarding visor’s experience is that those who enter museum, they have to be taken to a guided tour; no one can witness the galleries, displays, and the splendid artifacts according to their own pace. Although docents are adequately trained, the viewers get just a one explanatory perspective on all the things as the decent has the responsibility to take the groups through the premises.

The question arises that whey does the museum insist on the guided tour, in contrast to other civil rights museum in the country? Why not provide visitors/viewers with the opportunity of a tour, or the audio guide? Why they cannot go through the galleries by themselves? The answers to these questions is simple and it lies in the core exhibition, which does not have the interpretive panels. Furthermore, objects are without any labels. Initially, the authorities of museum described the absence of labelling as a delay in produced and an omission essential to open the museum on the eve of the 15th anniversary of the sit-in.

The objective was to complete the all the signage quickly to facilitate the visitors of the museum so that they can explore the museum by themselves. Recently, the museum officials have said that scarcity of the labels and required group visits may be a blessing, as viewers listen to the details offered by docents and come up with the questions right away. However, the tight policy of guided tours is still debatable. Meanwhile, the museum sticks to the authorized script.

The Greensboro civil rights museum can prove an attractive place for the visitors. The place has many attractions from the powerful pieces of art to the most interesting pictures and movies. The place uses such technology that enhances the experience gained by the visitors. This also attracts the customers to look deeper into the things in which they are most interested. Like all humanly things, this place is not without shortcomings. The first and foremost aspect is that the persons are not free to move and explore the museum on their own. Everyone should go through the museum in a tour that is led by some authorized person. No one can go through and enjoy the place on his own. The reason behind this insistence is that the management of the place has not placed proper explanation of the various aspects of the place with the exhibits. The management was off the view that the place had to be opened on an urgent notice and the slabs have been ordered to be made. The positive aspects of the current way are that the people who have any queries regarding the place or a thing may ask on the spot. Ignoring the downside of this act, the management is continuing with it.

Museum officials originally described the labeling lack as postponement on the 50th anniversary of sit-in. Plan was to get done with the signage in the museum as soon as it is possible sop that visitors can get exoerience the museum on their own terms just like it has been done other facilities. Recently, staff of the museum has demonstrated the rareness of the labels in the museum and descried the requirement of the tour groups. After hearing explanations that are offered by a docent, they get to ask different queries right on the spot. Construction of the museum is a hot debate but the staff and facility of the museum stick with the authorized script for the museum ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a24q6eiucat","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf \\super 2\\nosupersub{}}","plainCitation":"2"},"citationItems":[{"id":602,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2RJg7y7G/items/MX5GC6FT"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2RJg7y7G/items/MX5GC6FT"],"itemData":{"id":602,"type":"book","title":"Civilities and Civil Rights: Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Black Struggle for Freedom","publisher":"Oxford University Press","number-of-pages":"300","source":"Google Books","abstract":"The 'sit-ins' at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro launched the passive resistance phase of the civil rights revolution. This book tells the story of what happened in Greensboro; it also tells the story in microcosm of America's effort to come to grips with our most abiding national dilemma--racism.","ISBN":"978-0-19-502919-2","note":"Google-Books-ID: EP7sduWSTkYC","shortTitle":"Civilities and Civil Rights","language":"en","author":[{"family":"Chafe","given":"William H."},{"family":"Chafe","given":"William Henry"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1981"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} 2.

Other source of critical bewilderment is the lacking of visibly clarified larger narratives and themes in several spaces of exhibition. It looks like exhibit curators and designers struggled a lot in situating the occasions in Greensboro into a great national story and even international story as well. At times, the Greensboro Four and the Woolworth counter appear to be at the center of everyone's attention, however, due to an oft shifting narrative focus, it looks more like a conventional civil rights history museum where the present artifacts do not necessarily illustrate what is being tried to convey. As a viewer, I often felt torn between competing images and ideas

Solution to this problem is reasonably simple. In the core exhibit, put better and more labels just like most of the major museums does. With the help of such labels, visitors of the museum will experience their visit on their own terms, by using different signage as the resources of education. Labels need to be well-designed and conceptualized. Moreover, they can also be used in the clarification of the core narratives. This will allow visitors to understand museum with several layers of its meaning. As the location of powerful event itself houses an event which influenced a large movement in all of its national and international implications of history.

End- notes

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Dwyer OJ, Alderman DH. Civil Rights Memorials and the Geography of Memory. University of Georgia Press; 2008.

2. Chafe WH, Chafe WH. Civilities and Civil Rights: Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Black Struggle for Freedom. Oxford University Press; 1981.