Behind the Scenes Look at the Michigan Historical Center

Last Thursday our class went to the Michigan Historical Center for the second time. I thought that this visit was very informative and helpful for our project on I-496. On our first visit, we didn't really explore the museum's exhibits. This time we got to walk through a couple and talk to Maria Leiby about how they were constructed and some of the problems that staff faced when designing the exhibits. I think this was helpful for our class because it gives us some background knowledge when we are working on our project. It raised some questions that we will have to negotiate as a group - what are we including, what are we not including, what are our goals for the exhibit, who is our audience...

I really enjoyed seeing the room where a lot of the artwork was constructed for the museum. It is incredible what people can create and restore and it made me realize how much work goes into creating an exhibit in a museum. It is so much more than just thinking of an idea and constructing it. You need to plan and design and create from scratch. It seems we have a lot of work ahead of us, but like the MHC staff said, all the work is done in groups so everyone helps each other.

The Enola Gay Controversy

Before this class, I didn't really know anything about the Enola Gay Controversy. After reading a few articles, I was able to understand the basic story and what the big deal was surrounding the Enola Gay. The Smithsonian was planning an exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. The exhibit was to feature the Enola Gay, the plane used to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. The Air Force Association and the American Legion (among others) wanted the exhibit to be cancelled because they felt the exhibit script was biased and didn't put the American veterans in a favorable light regarding the dropping of the bomb on Japan. The huge battle was whether the exhibit should promote heritage or history.

I think it was unfortunate that the exhibit was cancelled and instead the Enola Gay was displayed with little information or interpretation. While I understand veterans were upset that the exhibit was going to show the effects of the atomic bomb through pictures and artifacts that would have elicited a strong emotional response from the public, I don't think that part of the story could have been ignored or scaled back. It would be hard talking about the atomic bomb without mentioning its disastrous effects. The public should have been able to see the original exhibit. History is about exploring all sides of a story.