To a museum critic, the controversy illuminates the limits of both the notion of objectivity and the use of omniscient third-person narratives in exhibitions. But the event's meaning, like the history of the atom bomb itself, remains contested. Some who disliked the original 50th anniversary show saw its cancellation as the triumph of "objectivity" over a left-liberal political agenda. It vividly illustrates the enormous difficulties involved in translating strongly contested history into the medium of a museum exhibition. SHAMEFUL," wrote an anonymous skeptic.įive years later, the story of the original Enola Gay exhibition – an ambitious, if ultimately flawed attempt to capture a charged historical moment – remains a key marker in the evolution of American museums. "You would think from this exhibit that hardly any Japanese lives were lost. We love our servicemen." Others lamented the gaps left by the exhibition. "History is history no matter what we feel. "This is history," declared Jeanne Newbery of Memphis, Tenn. Many applauded the Smithsonian, the plane and the veterans involved. Visitor reaction – recorded in comment cards stored in the Smithsonian archives – was mixed. Missing, however, was any substantial discussion of either the mission's historical context or its impact – on the Japanese and the postwar world.
It featured the forward fuselage and propeller of the plane, a description of the plane's mission, an account of the plane's painstaking restoration, and video reminiscences of the men who flew it. On June 28, 1995, an abbreviated exhibition on the Enola Gay – the B-29 bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan – did open at the National Air and Space Museum. There was deep resistance to achieving real balance." In talking to the museum, said Correll, "we were astounded at the bias, the close-mindedness, the reluctance to talk, that we ran into…. In his view, the National Air and Space Museum erred by trying to present a slanted account of the end of World War II that cast the Japanese as victims of American aggression. Not so, says John Correll, editor of Air Force Magazine and arguably the person most responsible for stirring opposition to the museum's planned exhibition on the Enola Gay.
As far as they were concerned, there was a gospel truth: Dropping the bomb prevented the invasion of Japan and ended the war. The fact that there had been 30 years of historiographic debate and development…was irrelevant…. "They feel you must obviously be an anti-American evil person even to debate the legitimacy of dropping the bomb…. "A lot of people in this country don't want the decision to drop the bomb debated," he said. Show that while museum may be adept at producing spectacular displays of propaganda, they are often incapable of predicting the reactions of their audiences." * Artforum * Read more.WASHINGTON – Sitting in his book-lined office at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Michael Neufeld talks bitterly about his role as the much-maligned curator of the most infamous museum exhibition never mounted. Using an evenhanded journalistic approach and remarkably revealing interviews, Dubin documents how the institutions, run by idealistic and politically naive curators and exploited by conservative opponents, were marred by allowing minor conflicts to blow up into front-page stories. 2001 * "A lively and insightful new book. If this book is not on your shelf you are missing one of the key maps to the territory in which you travel." * Museum National, Aug. Walking the fine line of consultation versus freedom of thought is an issue for every curator, every director. Instead, he gives us a case study that we can learn from." * Muse * "Fascinating.
A cautionary tale told boisterously and wittily." * Museum News * "Dubin's book thoughtfully examines all facets of the Brooklyn confrontation without assigning blame. Is the book useful or intimidating? Is it a cautionary tale or a diatribe against museum complacency? I believe that it is all of these things. Cogently demonstrates that modern museums are crucibles for change rather than pleasant refuges, and that they are expanding the public's awareness that we live in an increasingly multicultural society and a multinational world." * Publishers Weekly * "Displays of Power is contentious, irreverent, and entertaining, but it is also absolutely serious.
His provocative study gives voice to curators and partisans on all points of the spectrum, making his book something of a lively free-for-all. "A signal contribution to the 'culture wars,' Dubin dispassionately examines the contemporary American museum as a battleground for the control of expression where elitist and populist camps clash over politically sensitive art.