I came across this news segment on Sunday evening and it got me thinking. How do you commemorate such an important and life-changing event in many of our own histories? After reading the article and re-watching the interviews it reminds me of the questions we discussed in class this week. "One of Greenwald's (the museum director) first challenges, in this hallowed space, was deciding where the story of 9/11 should begin." This is exactly the question archivists and museum curators ask themselves when beginning a project. Many of the same sentiments that Glassberg wrote about with the Orange, M.A. memorial for the WWI fallen are expressed in the mission for the 9/11 museum in that some family members do not want to see an exhibit about that fateful day while other families argue there is a need for this type of commemoration. Some even state it is important to include all aspects of the event. "That on this-- this actual ground where the atrocity took place, this
graveyard to some extent, how could you demean the memory of my loved
one by showing the image of the person that murdered him?...But other family members took the opposite view, demanding accountability." Also, the museum has had problems obtaining funding for this project. While the museum is not finished and still in progress of being established, questions remains: How best do you preserve the memory of those lost and tell the story? With so many who remember where they were and how they felt on September 11, 2001, how will those working for the museum remain dedicated to presenting as truthful as possible the history of that day? How will the curators and archivists working on this project decide what to showcase? Finally, we know how some family members of those who perished feel toward the inclusion of pictures of the hijackers and bin Ladin, but how will the general public react?
I encourage all of you to take a look at the article and segment.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57601126/the-9-11-museum-curating-memories-of-terror-and-tragedy/
