“Smithsonian will honor biological males in Women’s History Museum to be ‘inclusive’: report” First off, whoever created this title should have consulted with someone before placing it on a report that talks about being more welcoming and inclusive to transgender identities. Having representation in a place full of artifacts and information from history is huge. When I first came across this article, I wasn’t sure if they were for or against that representation due mostly to the title. But as I was reading, they said things like, “The interim director believes that it’s essential for the museum to feature trans-identified people, citing a “deep partisan divide” about accepting those who claim transgender identities.” and wow, that stood out to me.
I believe that museums collect in order to create those types of moments. If there is something from your own personal culture or identity that you recognize, it becomes a moment of support from the museum, and a moment of, “wow, I matter enough to be in a museum.” Artifacts without meaning or purpose are just that, artifacts. As soon as something shows representation or relevance is when it becomes something to preserve for the future.
” “By paying tribute to the women who shaped our past, the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum empowers and inspires the ones who will shape our future,” Gates said.”
History museums generally fall into the category of “Historic Preservation collecting.” They collect items that tell stories, both from famous people and from everyday people. Generally speaking, the monetary value of historical items isn’t as important to history museums as it might be to an individual collector or another type of museum.
Overall, Museums collect artifacts for the education and enjoyment of the public. Artifacts have their own stories to tell, and research yields new discoveries about their secrets.
What was one artifact in a museum that you saw and wondered, why is this here? Or was there something that just felt out of place?
Smithsonian to honor biological males in Women’s History Museum | U.S. News (christianpost.com)
