- Do some background searching on the web about whiteness (make sure you record the sources uses such as Google, Wikipedia and others from the web or print materials). Find icons we could use, websites, who are the experts we should consult or hire?
Andres Serrano, "The Interpretation of Dreams (White Nigger)," 2001, cibachrome/ silicone/plexiglas/wood frame, 60 x 49 1/2"- What model of a museum would work best? Consider museums you know like a wax museum, science centers (hands-on), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Museum of Sex, etc. Should it be a virtual museum, a learning museum or a marketing museum? Search for an appropriate model online and consider which might work best.
Here a source to start with but find your own too.
http://fno.org/museum/museweb.html
- We would need to create some exhibits around themes and issues. What are the themes and issues and imagine a main exhibit for the main hall. There are artists and scholars who've already done work on such themes and issues. Find some established and new artists/teachers/musicians/performers/scholars/issues etc. to feature. (i.e., Jena 6?, Kara Walker? Michael Moore?)
- A simple way to do this same project is to ask 5 people. As a study of race in our anthropology course, we are assigned to create a museum of White American culture. There are museums for all other ethnic/racial makeups. We wondered what should be exhibited in our collection. Could you list the first 3-5 themes or issues we should include. Or five objects or events we should feature to be representative of whiteness in America.
We can discuss the process here til Thursday and beyond.
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23 comments:
I still think there is no such thing as soley white culture, that's why i think nothing can go in the museum of white culutre. If anyone found anyhting to put in there, they would be considered racist.
Alan,
Alan,
You might not think so, personally, but the assignment is an exploration. Try it on as an inquiry! If there was/is whiteness, what would be in the first exhibit?
TEsting. Don't forget to sign your comment.
After reading the blog and the link to wikipedia's information about whiteness, I realized how much easier it is to understand white identity or white privilege than to understand "white culture." I read another article about White American Culture that made things much more clear to me. The article is short but says that white Americans have contributed music, literature, agricultural skills, etc. While that seems obvious, I think it clears up the problem I'm having with thinking about a white museum. We tend to think about these contributions as part of a particular time period or era in American history, rather than as part of a cultural contribution. Then, though, the problem I have is figuring out the time periods/lines between White European Culture, which I think we can all agree was a huge part of the founding of this country, and White American Culture.
It is very difficult to say what would go in a museum of Whitness, because I think the American culture is the white culture. All of our holidays and other traditions are based on white accomplishments and other cultures seem to just take a backseat. However, if I had to have a white museum I would put general American history like the history books we read in school, White philosophers, and the history of white supremacist groups such as the KKK.
It is very difficult to say what would go in a White culture museum, because the American culture is white culture and we live it every day. I mean just take a look at our holidays and accomplishments. It's like all other cultures took a back seat. Anyway, if I had to have a white museum I would put general history, ike what is in our textbooks, great white philosophers and activists, and the history of white supremacy groups, such as the KKK and the Nazis.
I posted a comment but I don't see it here. The blog said it had to be viewed first.
When I originally thought about what would go in a "Whiteness Museum," I couldn't think of anything. But then I started to think back as to when exactly that distinction between white/black was created. As a result, my contribution to this museum would be a dipiction of the world, as it were believed to be during the Age of Discovery; flat. This drawing however, wouldn't be an artifact but rather a symbol of the beginning of that distinction. It would be a symbol of the Europeans venturing across the Atlantic to the New World, and finding the Native Americans and their cultural difference and the "green gold" that would ultimately lead to enslavement of Native Americans and Africans.
As easy as it is to group many different types of people into the category as being "white," I feel that it would be very hard to figure out what goes in a "whiteness museum." I feel that part of the difficulty lies in the differentiation of white culture and American culture. While there may be some overlaps, white culture and American culture are not exactly the same. This is because, not only white people consider themselves as "American." I would definitely put historical elements in the museum that gave influence to the increased awareness, such as the Civil War, and the millions of european immigrants that came to the United States.
-Lisa
As easy as it is to group many different types of people into the category as being "white," I feel that it would be very hard to figure out what goes in a "whiteness museum." I feel that part of the difficulty lies in the differentiation of white culture and American culture. While there may be some overlaps, white culture and American culture are not exactly the same. This is because, not only white people consider themselves as "American." I would definitely put historical elements in the museum that gave influence to the increased awareness, such as the Civil War, and the millions of european immigrants that came to the United States.
-Lisa
As with everyone else, I had some trouble finding what exactly to put in a white culture museum. After some thought, why not put hair color into it? For example natural blonds and redheads are all "white." Hair color is also part of culture in that there are a ton of blond jokes. Not to mention that what someone said earlier about white supremacy blond hair was one of the traits of the Nazis believed.
If anything else I would place in some cartoon/comic icons such as Charlie Brown, and or superman. The reason being that the art style is extremely different from something like say anime.
-Anthony
After reading posts made by my classmates, my perplexion as to what would be placed in a "whiteness museum" furthered. The question that replays in my mind is "what exactly defines whiteness and the culture?" To some "whiteness" could be defined historically with documents such as the Declaration of Independence or Constitution. It can also be defined socially, referencing skin color, eye color etc; or through pop culture\media depictions. Personally, multiple museums exist celebrating different cultures and aspects that shape that culture; yet to precisely define "whiteness" is tedious.
I spent some time looking for information that might make you question your own comments. However, much of the research has already been done. Therefore I would like to take on this assignment in a different way. While looking up the term white I was reminded that the color white is a combination of all colors of the spectrum. Now I simply believe that the term "white" doesn't really describe a culture, in fact it describes certain parameters of the colors of different skin. Hence, we should describe the culture.
Since we can't really distinguish the culture of the "white", I thought that in the museum we should put anything that relates to an American culture/society. After all, we wouldn't want to be called racists.
I do believe that there is a white culture but I think it's too broad to really pinpoint certain aspects of it in a museum. Everyone has their own perspective as to what it is, which obviously shows it exists, but makes it more difficult to decide what makes it up. Therefore, a museum focusing on white culture seems to be an impossible task because the culture is differently defined by each person.
-Diana
I also did some research and I finally came up with a few things that I would consider putting into a "Whiteness museum" none of which are material objects. Thinking about the differences between whites and non whites, i realized its not exactly something tangible but a mentality of white supremacy, white nationalism, and ethnocentrism. The way we view white people and their history is embedded in our culture from the holidays we celebrate, to the privileges of having the color white represent pureness and innocence while black represents the opposite.
Trying to find essential "things" or "ideas" to put in to a white museum was a little bit of a struggle for me. I think that different people of different backgrounds and "race" would contribute different ideas to what they think is white culture. i think that social constructs have affected people differently in their own "race". therefore, i don't necessarily believe that what people consider "whiteness" has a wrong or right perception. i just think that experiences in your own culture or society impact peoples views differently, and sometimes dramatically.
-Natalie
Bold and committed speaking. Great Natalie.
One question: Can anyone see their own ignorance? Might it be a blind spot for them? Or is it just the way life is and the other are the ignorant ones?? Humans have the amazing capacity to NOT see their own biases. NO matter how visual we are it takes something to see them -- more than just sight. Perhaps the word INSIGHT is most appropriate. How does one get insight and what about Ghandi? He was a perfect example of tolerating ignorance and difference and standing for the impossible.
BACK TO THE POINT: Anyone noticing that most are commenting ON the exercise but not DOING it?
You can't go around this one. Just go through it!
RESPONDING TO MACK/MOHIT:
If you are strong in yourself what people call you won't matter. If you are not a racist, don't worry that others might think you're one.
AND it's ok if you think, as a member of this culture, you might have racist ways of thinking that are blindspots. You can trust you won't get put on the cross for ANYTHING you say in this conversation. LEarning involves risks and maybe you might learn something INVALUABLE about our culture not to mention yourself.
It's really hard to identify a culture just by skin or eye color, especially in the US--a immigrant country. Then I am thinking by an opposite way. Just like when we talking about Jazz, the first thing jump in our mind is Black culture. However,the saxophone was developed in the 1840s by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian-born instrument-maker. By searching the list of inventors at wikipedia.org, at least half of inventions are invented by England, Germany, Sweden, UK, USA, etc. The great success in science and arts brings whiteness culture infinite pride. If there is a whiteness museum, I guess I would put Western painting, classic music and equipment, transportation, and gun.
Beiqi,
It's really hard to identify a culture just by skin or eye color, especially in the US--a immigrant country. Then I am thinking by an opposite way. Just like when we talking about Jazz, the first thing jump in our mind is Black culture. However,the saxophone was developed in the 1840s by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian-born instrument-maker. By searching the list of inventors at wikipedia.org, at least half of inventions are invented by England, Germany, Sweden, UK, USA, etc. The great success in science and arts brings whiteness culture infinite pride. If there is a whiteness museum, I guess I would put Western painting, classic music and equipment, transportation, and gun.
When I hear "white culture" I think American culture. Every bit of history having to do with America would be in a "white museum." The Declaration of Independence, documentation of every war, all forms of art including famous painters, musicians, performers, famous operas and theatre productions. Significant inventions such as electricity, telephone, automobiles and much more that has contributed to the development of America.
- Sofya
I think that the reason why its is so hard to explain what is exactly "white culture" is that it is defined not by what it is, but rather by what it is not. And once I start picking out what cultures different art, music, and traditions in our society belong to, it seems I'm left with nothing to put into the museum of white culture. However, i think that maybe things dont necessarily have to belong just to one culture or be put in just one museum.If the works of a prominent black woman artist would undoubtedly be placed both into a museum of women as well as into a museum of black history, there is no reason for the museum of white cuture to have constraints. Stereotypically speaking, the first things that came to mind when I thought of white culture are sculptures of girls in very tight corsets at tea time at the entrance, and men in plaid pants playing cricket. I think of the famous white artists like Mozart, and Picasso,and Mark Twain.I am not even sure why these are some things that popped up in my head. I personally think that in order to be complete and accurate, the museum of white culture would have to include things that dont belong to one culture alone- artifacts from the times of slavery, and the holocaust, and the different wars that went on.
~Kira
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