Boston Museum and Exhibit Reviews the Public Historian, Vol

Home , Abiel Smith School, African Meeting House, Old South Meeting House

Boston Museum and Exhibit Reviews The Public Historian, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Spring 2003), pp. 80-87 Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the National Council on Public History Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/tph.2003.25.2.80 . Accessed: 23/02/2012 10:14

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http://www.jstor.org 80 n THE PUBLIC HISTORIAN

Boston Museum and Exhibit Reviews

The American public increasingly receives its history from images. Thus it is incumbent upon public historians to understand the strategies by which images and artifacts convey history in exhibits and to encourage a conver- sation about language and methodology among the diverse cultural work- ers who create, use, and review these productions. The purpose of The Public Historian’s exhibit review section is to discuss issues of historical exposition, presentation, and understanding through exhibits mounted in the United States and abroad. Our aim is to provide an ongoing assess- ment of the public’s interest in history while examining exhibits designed to influence or deepen their understanding. We seek to review a broad range of exhibits, including those directed to a large public audience, those that employ new or unique strategies of presentation or perception, and those that embody particularly popular or representative views of history. Occasionally, the exhibit review section will publish thematic or comparative essays that consider geographic re- gions, special-interest audiences, or methodological dilemmas in historical discussion or understanding. Reviews will assess the scholarly content of the exhibit; the extent, variety, and appropriateness of the objects displayed; the function of design in the exhibit; and issues of funding and institutional support. We welcome suggestions for exhibits to review.

J. B.

Voices of Protest. Old South Meeting House, Boston, Massachu setts. EMILY CURRAN, director; L OUIS HUTCHINS, historian. Permanent exhibition opened in March 2000.

Voices of Protest is a permanent exhibition at the Old South Meeting House, a national historic landmark and one of the major stops on Boston’s Freedom Trail, a walking trail connecting the historic sites re- lating to the American Revolution. The multimedia exhibition was de- veloped in partnership with the National Park Service as part of a major renovation of Old South. The exhibition opened in March 2000. In planning the exhibition, a visitor-use survey was conducted by Serrell and Associates on the previous permanent exhibition and used by the core team for the new exhibition. The team consisted of the Old

80 BOSTON MUSEUM AND EXHIBIT REVIEWS n 81

South Executive Director Emily Curran; the education director, the marketing and events manager, and the historian and chief of interpretation from Boston National Historic al Park. This group met regularly with the exhibit design firm of Ralph Appelbaum Associates, and a panel of historians reviewed exhibition plans. The formulative evaluation surveys gave the team a clear understanding of who the audience was—mainly tourists, including many foreign visitors, with an average stay of twenty minutes. Clearly the team made good use of audience response and realized that “exhibitions, after all, are designed for people to walk through and are not complete until visitors animate the interpretive spaces with their presence. The best exhibition scripts realize that an exhibit is not a tombstone but a conversa- tion.”1 The Old South Meeting House, built in 1729 as a Puritan meeting house, is the primary artifact of the exhibition, and both the exhibit teams and historians realized that this was central to the exhibition. The question was how to develop an exhibition that blended into the historic fabric but at the same time stood out enough to be noticed. The goal was to add a layer of interpretation not seen in the architecture itself. The exhibition also had to allow for the continued use of the building, which is still an active meeting place. The subject of the exhibit is not an easy one. It attempts to convey a sense of the people who used Old South as well as the challenging issues that shaped both Old South itself and the history of the nation as a whole, such as free speech, censorship, and abolition. On all fronts the exhibition succeeds. Original research, particularly on the Free Speech section of the exhibition, was conducted by interns under the supervision of the historian of the Boston National Historical Park. An article in New England Quarterly resulted concern- ing the Old South’s governing body, which in the 1920s debated whether the building should be preserved as a museum or should maintain its role as a meeting house and “if the public were to be invited to use the meeting house, should some groups—perhaps those with incompatible goals or inflammatory views—nonetheles s be barred.”2 The exhibition runs along the side wall across from the pulpit and allows free and easy access to the meeting space. The exhibition is divided into six sections: Old South Meeting House, Old South’s Role in the Revolution, House Divided, Saved from Demolition, Free Speech at Old South, and The Tradition Continues. Each section is a self-con- tained kiosk and makes use of copies of period illustrations, broadsides, and posters, often blown up and cut out to give dimension to the display, creating a collage effect. These materials are used alongside original objects. In the Old South’s Role in the Revolution section, for example, a vial of tea believed to be from the Boston Tea Party is included. The team assembli ng the exhibit has presented the text in a hierarchical

1. Gary Kulik and James Sims, “Clarion Call for Criticism,” Museum News 68, no. 6 (November/December 1989): 55. 2. Jonathan B. Vogels, “‘Put to Patriotic Use’: Negotiating Free Speech at Boston’s Old South Meeting House, 1925–1933,” The New England Quarterly 72, no. 1 (March 1999): 4. 82 n THE PUBLIC HISTORIAN manner, and visitors can get the main point by looking solely at the section label. The exhibitions don’t stand out as much as they could, a result of designers’ efforts to blend the panels into the historical color scheme of the building. A bit more contrast or at least color in the cases may have helped. The only other criticism I have is the exhibit’s relative lack of artifacts. Quite a few paper items are on display, including a Chinese tea label and a pew receipt, but many of the objects are small. More artifacts would enhance the exhibition, especially in the Free Speech at Old South section. What the team did include, the death masks of Sacco and Vanzetti, proved to be especially moving to this viewer. The designers make use of a c. 1900 model of 1775 Boston which seems automatically to draw visitors to it. Here you can press a button to light up where famous locals were when the Tea Party took place. Life- size cast figures of four historical characters associated with Old South stand adjacent to their corresponding time section and help personalize the narrative. These include the famous such as Phillis Wheatley, America’s first African-American author; Margaret Sanger, who is presented dramatically with her mouth taped to protest efforts to ban her from speaking at Old South; and Mayor James Michael Curley, who pre- vented both Sanger and the Ku Klux Klan from speaking at Old South. By choosing George Robert Twelves Hewes, a patriot who took part in the Boston Tea Party, to help illustrate the Old South’s role in the Revo- lution, the team stresses the role of the ordinary person in that event. Historian Alfred F. Young writes, “Hewes might have been unknown to posterity save for his longevity and a shift in the historical mood that rekindled the ‘spirit of ’76.’” 3 Several interactives add to the visitor experience, some more success- ful than others. These range from sliding panels which illustrate how two architectural styles came together in Old South, a Puritan Meeting House, and an Anglican Church, to pressing buttons to identify from a panel of portraits who could attend various gatherings at Old South. By choosing one button you would learn that women were not allowed at the Town Meeting or Body of the People Assembly but were allowed at the Boston Massacre Memorial. I enjoyed the two interactive s where visitors were posed a question, “If you were in charge of the Old South Meeting House, is there anyone you would not allow to speak in this historic building?” This low-tech interactive is very effective, judging from the comments in the adjacent binder. The exhibition offers some flexibility in that after September 11, 2001 another question was added asking people’s response to the tragedy of that day. These responses make for fascinating reading. Opposite the exhibit on the back of the last pews is a timeline with illustrations which help put each section in historic context. The exhibition can be viewed on its own, but it is recommended that visitors use an audio program which allows them to walk around the building and learn more about the events that took place at the Old South.

3. Alfred F. Young, The Shoemaker and the Tea Party (Boston: Beacon Press, 1999), 5. BOSTON MUSEUM AND EXHIBIT REVIEWS n 83

Based on my observation, visitor response to the exhibit is strong. A formal evaluation is planned. All in all, Voices of Protest is a model exhibition designed for a historical space. KENNETH C. TURINO Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities

Museum of Afro-American History. B EVERLY MORGAN-WELCH, executive director.

The Times We Had: Separate Schools, Unequal Education. Interactive exhibit by S QUID COUNTRY SAFARI for the Museum of Afro-American History. BEVERLY MORGAN-WELCH, executive director, Museum of Afro-American History, Boston and Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Building a Firm Foundati on. BESTOR CRAM, executive producer; J UDY RICHARDSON, producer/director/writer. Northern Light Productions for the Museum of Afro-American History.

In 1806, African and African-American craftsm en completed construction of the African Meeting House on Boston’s Beacon Hill. The Abiel Smith School was built next to the African Meeting House in 1835, the first building erected in the United States for the sole purpose of housing a black public school. These two historic structures are the core of the Museum of Afro-American History, which was founded in 1967. For many years, the museum’s exhibits were temporary or housed in borrowed space as the buildings were acquired, funds were raised, and the buildings restored or renovated. With work complete on both buildings, the museum could finally reach into its collections and interpret these amazing buildings and the American history they repre- sent. As part of the renovation of the Abiel Smith School, the Museum of Afro-American History in Boston created new exhibitions from its collections. The museum chose to respect the historical classroom use of the 1835 structure, which has limited the scope of exhibitions in terms of space and content. However, it has created two floors of interpretive space that provide the museum’s educators with great flexibility in presenting education programs. Through artifacts, photographs, and artwork, the installed exhibitions teach visitors the historical significance of both the school and Boston’s nineteenth- century black community. The second and third floors of the Abiel Smith School house the exhibit and education spaces. On the second floor a striking, almost room-width panel presents an overview of Boston’s African-Ameri- can history called The Times We Had . Employing photographs and artifacts, this display ably summarizes the black community’s rich history using reproductions and original pieces from the museum’s collections. Two cases along the front wall display rotating exhibits 84 n THE PUBLIC HISTORIAN with various themes. Here the constraints of working in a restored historic building come into play. The display of original manuscripts and artifacts is limited because the Smith School has tall windows on two sides of the former classrooms, providing an abundance of bright but damaging light. The current content presents original copies of books authored by African Americans with appropriate commentary and excerpts. Previously, the history and artifacts of the famous 54th Regiment were on display. The third floor has been renovated to illustrate the appearance of the nineteenth-century classrooms, with blackboards and benches. The exhibit Separate Schools, Unequal Education has three components: video, print, and interactive CD-ROM. The Abiel Smith School was the focal point for the black community’s fight for equal education from 1835 until 1855. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a small open theater with a video presentation entitled Building a Firm Foundation. This excellent overview of Boston’s black history, and specifically the community on Beacon Hill and the fight for equal education, combines well-researched historical images with narration by a teenager dressed in period clothes. As a witness to the historic events of the nineteenth century, she makes history accessible through animated telling of the actions and feelings of friends and other Bostonians. The seventeen-minute film kept a group of pre-teens glued to their seats. The outside wall of the theater presents a chronology and thumbnail sketches about the issue of school integration in Massachusetts. This exhibit combines information from Boston, Salem, and Nantucket (where the museum owns an d has resto red the Nantucket African Meeting House) to show that the struggle for equal education was fought on many fronts. The chronology presentation is, at times, diffi- cult to follow, because it labels Salem and Nantucket events, but not those in Boston. But the images and thumbnails vividly illustrate people and places. Below the classroom’s large windows on the right wall are four touch screen stations that allow visitors to select from three interactive, animated programs: (1) Atlantic Connections explores the role of the Atlan- tic Ocean in the slave trade, the American Revolution, and the Under- ground Railroad; (2) Conscience, Valor, Glory presents famous African Americans, such as Colin Powell and Rosa Parks, as mentors; and (3) Shake a Nation helps students to create an abolitionist newspaper. These stations are user-friendly and keep the attention of computer- savvy youth. The Museum of Afro-American History’s Abiel Smith School exhibits are a fascinating and informative venue for visitors to explore Boston’s early African-American history through a variety of well-planned media. Participation in the museum’s complementary educational programming allows fam ilies and school groups to explore the exhibits in greater depth. BETH ANNE BOWER Adams Gallery Suffolk University Law School BOSTON MUSEUM AND EXHIBIT REVIEWS n 85

All Hands on Deck: Learning Adventures Aboard “Old Ironsides,” an Interdisciplinary Theme Unit for Grades K–12 , by PENNY PARK- SEKIAN, with accompanying video by Northern Lights Productions, VHS, 19 minutes. Boston, Mass.: USS Constitution Museum, 1997.

All Hands on Deck is an elaborate, award-winning curriculum pack- age with an accompanying video, information summaries, activity sheets, bibliographies, glossaries, maps, charts, a poster, and illustrations. De- signed to be adaptable for grades K– 12, it presents the story of USS Constitution from a variety of perspectives. It ties descriptions of the frigate’s construction (entirely of wood), rigging, and weaponry to a discussion of the new republic’s need for a navy and how a navy was to be funded. It continues with information and activities about Constitution’s role in the history of the nation’s first sea battles against the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean Sea and the British during the War of 1812, adding discussions about shipboard life and teamwork. It outlines the role of Constitution “in retirement” as an around-the-world ambas- sador, an enforcer of the anti-slave trade law, a training ship, and a historic attraction. Published by the USS Constitution Museum, a private, nonprofit in- stitution, and supported by an impressive list of nongovernmental do- nors, All Hands on Deck has been distributed free to more than 12,000 schools and home school teachers who requested it. The response came from every state and several countries, including Britain. The museum also published Science Sails Aboard Old Ironsides, a twenty-seven-page supplement in September 2001. The museum is in the process of revis- ing All Hands on Deck and will decide by the fall of 2003 whether they will republish it as a book or make it available as a CD-ROM or online. Although All Hands on Deck is best suited to middle and high school students, several activities are suitable for K–4. All grades begin with a discussion of the significance of the place of Constitution in the history of the developing United States. Examples from primary school teachers who field tested the packet before publication include making a paper chain to illustrate the height of the mast and marking out the length of Constitution in the school yard and comparing it to the Mayflower, Niña, Pinta, and Santa María. A middle school teacher had students select and play the roles of different crew members. After discussing the decision the new nation made about whether to fight the Barbary pirates or to continue to pay tribute, a curriculum support teacher encouraged students to discuss the roles the United States should play in contemporary conflicts throughout the world. The excellent video that com es with the packet features a young woman named Julie who explores Constitution. It is especially suitable for middle and high school students. As she explores the ship, Julie meets characters from the past who give her clues to Constitution ’s history. One is a midshipman who fought the Barbary Corsairs, as he named the pirates; another is a boy serving as a powder monkey (carry- ing powder to the gunners); a third is an African-American seaman who found freedom by serving during the War of 1812; and a fourth is the 86 n THE PUBLIC HISTORIAN wife who stayed home and tended to the family’s children and finances while her husband, Captain John Percival, sailed Constitution around the world from 1844 to 1846. As Julie is about to leave the ship, she meets a modern woman naval officer who tells her the story of the ne- glect and then the restoration of Constitution, partly financed with pen- nies given by schoolchildren. The scenes in the film of Constitution under sail in 1997 after its most recent restoration bring history to life. The video is packed with information, and teachers would do well to use it both for introducing the curriculum and reviewing it at the end. Because the All Hands on Deck material is so extensive, a teacher will need to study it carefully and select the activities most relevant to his or her curriculum. On the other hand, there are some areas that could be expanded either in the next revision of the curriculum or by teachers currently using the curriculum. One of the concepts that could be introduced to students is the prob- lem of maneuvering a square-sail frigate with only wind power. Students are used to going in a straight line to their destinations either when walking or riding in a car, a bus, or even in a power boat. Constitution ’s successes are even more amazing when one realizes that a frigate’s tradi- tional sailing position was before the wind; only its jibs and spanker were effective when sailing against the wind. The result was that, unless the ship caught the trade winds, it was forced to pursue a course that was more irregular than the straight-line route drawn on the map. A diagram of an actual sailing course could illustrate this point. The weight of the sails should be added to a description of the size of the sails. It took many seamen working together to hoist the spanker and to furl the square sails for both reasons. Although the length of the cable is given, an explanation that the cable was used for the anchors would be helpful. On the high school level, a section on changes in methods of navigation over the life span of Constitution could be used to introduce more advanced mathematical concepts. The loss or saving of life in sea battles needs to be explained. Al- though there was a large loss of life during the famous sea battle in 1812 between Constitution and Guerriere, the crew of Constitution took its surviving opponents captive before Guerriere sank. The source given describes the final explosion of the ship itself (p. 63). Another source could be added to explain the fate of its crew. Although each section has a bibliography, it would be even more useful if it were sorted by level of difficulty. Some references are suitable only for teachers or advanced high school students. Others would make good reading for middle school students. The few that are designed for the lower grades should be separated from the others. The curriculum tries mightily to be interdisciplinary, but it misses one golden opportunity—sea chanteys! These were the work songs of the seamen which kept them hauling the lines and furling the sails in unison. Also useful in the arts would be a discussion of the widely distributed paintings of Constitution as sources of national pride. The painting by Gordon Grant of Constitution flying under full sail is icono- BOSTON MUSEUM AND EXHIBIT REVIEWS n 87 graphic and, although used on the cover with type over it, is never shown in full. On the other hand, the use of Oliver Wendell Holmes’s poem, Old Ironsides , is handled well. Some of the activities are a bit forced, especially the adaptation of serious material to simple games. One favorite activity of middle and high school students not mentioned in the curriculum is constructing models. The museum actually sells model kits of Constitution . Since the publication of All Hands on Deck , student use o f the Internet has increased exponentially. Students of all ages will relish re- searching by themselves on the Internet some of the characters and events described. The revision of the curriculum could include more suggestions of topics for Internet research or of web sites. The museum could create an interactive web site for curriculum users allowing teachers and students to share their experiences. Finally, the large question of bringing to the present the implications of the role of Constitution in the development of the policies of the fledgling United States could be expanded at least on the high school level. What role did the United States assume in responding to the ter- rorism of the Barbary pirates? What role did the nation play in responding to the taking of American seamen as hostages? Did the United States seek international cooperat ion? In what way was Constitution’s world tour in 1844–46 a statement by the new United States that it was de- manding a significant share of world commerce? Each of these questions is relevant to the position of the United States in today’s world. Consid- ering present policies in the light of the past would help provide students perspective on contemporary issues in foreign policy. All Hands On Deck provides an excellent opportunity for teachers to use the story of an American icon, USS Constitution, to tell the story of the early years of the American republic in a way that will reach young people. The variety of activities and the resources provided make this curriculum an opportunity that no teacher will want to miss. It is hoped that the museum will find a way to make the curriculum available to teachers who request it once again, either by republishing a less elaborate version of the curriculum or by creating a CD-ROM or a web site or by some combination of media. POLLY WELTS KAUFMAN University of Southern Maine