a walk through ghm.

Voices Exhibit. 

     Upon first entering the Voices exhibit, the visitor must follow a curving path into a larger room.  Along this path, there are quotes and phrases in different sizes, ornamenting the walls.  This immediately gives the observer the vibe that these are the “voices” that are meant to be heard in the exhibit.  When I first saw a timeline composed completely of pictures that related to major events in our past.  It was quite interesting to see how Greensboro is connected to the rest of the nation in terms of these events.  Honestly, I didn’t realize that our town played such an integral role in our country’s history.    Also, it is natural for people to take our past for granted.   That is why I appreciate the use of pictures rather than words in the timeline.  It puts faces on events, making it easier to for us to appreciate our past.    The rest of the Voices exhibit the different groups that settled in Greensboro over time.  There was a particular focus on segregation and the struggle of African Americans to achieve equality.  One point which caught my attention was the small exhibit for the Greensboro sit-ins.  In 1960, four students sat down at a white-only counter and refused to leave until the store closed.  Overall, the point of the exhibit was to portray Greensboro’s efforts to claim unity out of the dregs of institutionalized injustice.  It is impossible to sum up an entire identity as an idea as brief as that, but that is what I will resort to.  Greensboro is portrayed in the Voices exhibit as a growing socioeconomic center in the wake of a newly found harmony.  

timeline.

 Period rooms and Pottery.

When it comes down to the pottery exhibit and the period rooms, I felt that the latter bested the former by far, in terms of interest level.  When I first entered this area, I was immediately drawn to the pottery cases, simply because the harsh, artificial lighting demanded it.  It makes sense that this is a good way to display objects, but you cannot ask for a more uninviting method of doing so.  It completely sterilizes the pottery of its humanity.  However, I do not quite know if this response is based on a dislike for the desensitizing display cases or my complete lack of interest in the pottery as subject matter.  Perhaps a combination of the two.  The period rooms, however, were a welcome diversion from the central pottery space.  At the time, I remember appreciating the flow into that area, as an escape and refuge, anyway.  The rooms around this outer circular area managed to revive that emotion that was stripped away moments ago.  First off, the lighting was much softer than for the pottery.  It makes it a much more natural way of experiencing a space, rather than exposing every nook and cranny to harsh hospital lighting.  Early on, the light in the period rooms was nice, but as I made my way around the circle, it only managed to get dimmer and dimmer, to the point of barely being able to see anything in the last room.  If anything should change, I would like it to be the consistency of lighting around this particular walk.  When placed side by side with the pottery, the period rooms have a greater sense of identity.  They give the observer a solid sense as to what the lifestyle may have been like in those spaces, whereas the pottery does nothing more than look pretty.

 

belle meade bedroom.

 

Gate City.

The Gate City exhibit was quite enjoyable.  I appreciated how it was essentially a large replica of an old town.  It introduced an entirely new humanizing aspect to the space by making it one which can directly be experienced by the visitor.  The first thing which caught my attention as I crossed through the glass doors was the ambiance.  There are sounds playing in the background, contributing to the ‘entourage’ in the exhibit- honking cars, laughter, etc.  At almost the same time, I noticed a large tree stationed in the center of the exhibit.  On my left, I found a firehouse, a pharmacy, and a schoolhouse.  In the schoolhouse, the representation of the teacher freaked me out.  I understand that it’s supposed to make the area more relatable but that could have been right out of the Twilight Zone.   When it comes to circulation for Gate City…well, there was none.  All the mini exhibits surrounded a plaza area.  After seeing one spot, the visitor bounces back to the plaza, resetting for another dive on another tangent.  However, this makes the area unique, as the observer can create his own flow in the space.  Circulation is a matter of preference.  But is this chaos a welcome concept? Or should the visitor be led through the space in a meaningful manner?  Overall, this space does make one want to believe that it be inhabited by a people.  It has an identity that takes one back to the old times when Greensboro was first hitting industrial change.  

druggist.

Down Home.

“Down Home” was actually the first exhibit I visited, given its convenient location in relation to the entrance.  I found the orientation of the glass cases interesting.  They formed a circle, as if people were meant to earn access into closed off space.  Then, the video, playing in loop, caught my attention.  It drew me into the center of the circle and at once the exhibit made sense.  That was my access point and it would allow a visitor to experience all the contents of the glass cases.  However, it is still very clear that this is only a temporary exhibit.  No special measures were taken to give the area a sense of completion.  Just by placing the cases on one end of the lobby does not give it reason to be there.  I feel that the surrounding walls in that area of the lobby had a very particular set of edges.  That being said, it would have been nice if the placement of the cases were based off of this setup.  The actual merit of the exhibit’s information, on the other hand, is quite a different story.  It follows the Jewish community in Greensboro, elaborating on the pride they felt for having faced and overcome the social struggles they faced.  Through these experiences, the Greensboro Jewish community has forged an identity that, while unique, still can be united with the rest of our local society.  There is no point in having a distinct culture if it is unable to unite with its surroundings.  

video and dress.