When the exceedlingly rare exhibition of the recovered treasures of Dresden, Germany, were brought to America for a tour, an unprecedented view of the high culture of Germany, especially of the elites and the artistic elites was revealed for the public to see.
From a pearl that was so large that it could serve as the torso of a grotesque clown figurine, to a diamond so large and flawless that streams of light poured out for inches, to swords and scabbards so intricately fashioned that they stunned the eye, the craftsmanship, wealth, and concentration of wealth was astounding.
But the tryptich of the bombing of Dresden made the biggest stir. It was a message to the world that war is hell.
The “King Tut” exhibition was an insight into ancient Egyptian culture, art, religion, belief and values that was immediately observable by the public, many of whom had never seen an exhibition of the surrounding artifacts and symbols of the famous tombs and mummies.
There are museums in Germany that are vast repositories of artifacts that had been looted from almost every country in the world. From ancient greek vases and urns to the art of ancient African cultures, the items cannot all be seen in a week of full time wanderings through the museums of one city, alone.
The exhibitions of artifacts are the ways in which the public can personally observe and process information about the cultures and people who lived with, made and used the items. Insights can be made into the lives of the Anasazi Indians, who mysteriously disappeared after building incredible cities, leaving so rapidly that food was left in dishes. In Arizona, the actual Anasazi cities are the exhibits.
The archeologists who discover and who carefully excise the stuff of history, then describe, define, catalogue and explain the lives of people who lived thousands of years or fifty years ago, provide us with understandings that trigger our imaginations as to how it would be to have lived during the past.
We are all enhanced by learning that our grandmothers or great grandmothers could cook the most delicate cakes in wood stoves, or how an early human found and prepared food, built shelter, or made exquisite crafts with little or no technology as we know it. Whether a teenager discovers the makeup and clothing of the 1960s or whether an elderly person sees a real Tiffany lamp for the first time, exhibitions are the only thing that we, the public, have for personally observing and understanding the past.
The museum curators who choose the items for display, who create the displays and who compose the information that we hear or read as we tour through exhibits demonstrate their expertise in finding the right artifacts and finding the right information to provide about them. They are the last line of individuals who are charged with representing a culture through it’s leavings.
