Conquering the Monumental Divide

What is a Monument?

Is it a Plaque?

Is it a statue?

The origin of the word "monument" comes from the Latin moneo, monere, which means 'to remind', 'to advise' or 'to warn', suggesting a monument allows us to see the past thus helping us visualize what is to come in the future.

What are the characteristics of a monument?

physical presence
public realm
symbol of a past civilization
iconic emblem of contemporary culture
conveys historical, cultural or political information
encapsulates cultural memory
durable

Monuments Come In All Different Sizes

Monuments Come In All Different Shapes

Why Do We Build Them?

CELEBRATE IDEAS: LIBERTY

SHOWCASE INITIATIVES: WESTWARD EXPANSION

COMMEMORATE MILITARY CAMPAIGNS: THE MASSACHUSETTS 54TH VOLUNTEER INFANTRY

DOCUMENT EVENTS: SENECA FALLS CONFERENCE

HONOR PEOPLE: FOUNDING FATHERS

HIGHLIGHT ACTIONS: STUDENT WALKOUT IN PROTEST TO SEGREGATION

IN REMEMBRANCE OF TRAGEDY: 9/11 MEMORIAL

Should Monuments Be Permanent?

If we examine historic record we see that the toppling of monuments is ancient as the building of monuments

The Romans even had a phrase for it, damnatio memoriae meaning the condemnation of memory

Charlemagne has a statue of the Saxon god Krodo torn down, while a church is built in its place. Engraving by Matthäus Merian the Elder, 1630.

in 1776, just five days after the Declaration of Independence was ratified, soldiers and civilians tore down a gilded statue of King George III in Manhattan. The leaden king was to be repurposed to make musket balls

A painting by Johannes Adam Simon Oertel depicted the destruction of the statue in 1776. CreditNew-York Historical Society

Hungarians stand over the toppled statue of Joseph Stalin on Oct. 23, 1956. Credit: Andor D. Heller/Hungarian News Agency

Young men in Ethiopia dismantle the statue of the Russian Bolshevik revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin in Addis Ababa on May 23, 1991, two days after the exiled departure of Ethiopia's pro-Communist strongman Mengistu Haile Mariam. Credit: Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A crowd pushes the head of a dismembered Saddam Hussein statue in Baghdad in April 2003. Credit: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images

White nationalists carrying torches on Friday night surrounded counter-demonstrators on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. Credit: Edu Bayer for The New York Times

Monument building is a living process; no matter how much a monument may pretend to be eternal and unchanging, its meaning always evolves as its viewers bring new concerns and understandings to it.

Why are Monuments removed?

Memorials are taken down when a marginalized or underrepresented population recognizes that a Memorial's meaning :

is not inclusive
fictionalizes or misrepresents the past
only recognizes partial histories rather than the complex experiences

monuments SHOULD PROVOKE HEALTHY PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND PROMOTE CONVERSATION AND NEGOTIATION ABOUT NATIONAL IDENTITY

What does this Monument mean to you?

Government of the people, by the people, for the people
Symbol of Global Power
Seat of American Democracy
E Pluribus Unum ( Out of Many, One)

Four of the fifteen post-Civil War constitutional amendments were ratified to extend voting rights to different groups of citizens.

"Race, color, or previous condition of servitude" (15th Amendment, 1870)
"On account of sex" (19th Amendment, 1920)
"By reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax" (24th Amendment, 1964)
"On account of age" (26th Amendment, 1971)

"Move on!" Has the Native American no rights that the naturalized American is bound to respect? Credit: Thomas Nast.

The Snyder Act of 1924 admitted Native Americans born in the U.S. to full U.S. citizenship. After the passage of the 1924 citizenship bill, it still took over forty years for all fifty states to allow Native Americans to vote.

the construction of the U.S. Capitol was seen by many as a symbol of the Nation's Westward Expansion--Something Native American Tribes were willing to go to war for.

Shawnee Indian political leader and war chief Tecumseh, lead Native Americans to fight for the British During the War of 1812, until his death in the Battle of the Thames.

It was not surprising that in August of 1814 the British set the Capitol Building on Fire!

WHERE DOES CULTURAL cONFLICT COME FROM?

ARE MONUMENTS THE CAUSE OF THESE CONFLICTS, OR MERELY THE SYMPTOM OF DEEPER PROBLEMS IN SOCIETY?

WHAT rOLES sHOULD mUSEUMS AND HISTORIC SITES PLAY IN DETERMINING WHAT COMMUNITIES SHOULD PRESERVE AND HOW THE PAST SHOULD BE INTERPRETED?

conversations are already occurring in private or semiprivate spaces, from living rooms to Facebook, and are already affecting people’s public actions and statements

According to a 2015 Cone Communications Millennial CSR Study, “more than 9-in-10 millennials would switch brands to one associated with a cause,” and millennials are “prepared to make personal sacrifices to make an impact on issues they care about, whether that’s paying more for a product, sharing products rather than buying, or taking a pay cut to work for a responsible company.”

Museum's Cannot Afford To Stay Neutral In This Changing Society!

My goal today is to explore a 21st century toolkit that will enable us to rebrand the museum for the next generation.

My vision is the Museum as the new town square, where the diverse members of the community can come together, and consider issues against the backdrop of their history.

Created By

Amy Hollander

Appreciate