Don’t Skip the Gem Room!
On a recent and brief trip to New York City, I split off from my wife and daughter for a few hours to return to what I remember as a magical place: the American Museum of Natural History. This sprawling institution occupies four city blocks (New York City blocks, which are like three of yours!!) on the western edge of Central Park. What resides inside, is nothing shy of amazing.
A View of American Museum of Natural History, c. 1957
Just recently opened, the Richard Gilder Center for Science and Education is a yet another fantastic and otherworldly addition to the museum’s campus. The New York Times piqued my interest with their recent feature Wonder and Awe and Butterflies--Gilder Center I was surprised to learn about shotcrete, and that its use as a surface finishing technique has caused a stir among critics as an unsustainable construction practice. In general, the ubiquitous use of concrete in new construction has serious impacts on our blue marble. Some thoughts about concrete from smarties at Princeton
The massive volume and oddly cavernous galleries of the Gilder Center were incredible to behold. So too was the industrious colony of leafcutter ants. Architecture and insects aside, as the day wore on, I began to experience a less than magical feeling.
Next stop, the Margaret Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples. I strolled from case to case devouring the items within: ornately carved paddles, animal bone knives, wooden masks and puppets used to tell stories through shadow. I imagined the people who used these remarkable pieces. I began to wonder, however, was I unwillingly flexing some sort of vestigial colonizer muscle group? As I recall the experience, I feel a sense excitement over what I saw, but also a knowledge that I have inadvertently blended the many distinct histories and cultures with movies, fables and lies I’ve been told since childhood.
I surmise that I had spent some of my day marveling at artifacts with a sketchy provenance, collected, perhaps, by men and women with dubious intentions. There is a lot to debate about how acquisitions came to be warehoused in museums across the world. I am not equipped to lead that discussion, however. In fact, I am not entirely sure of my obligations as a museum ticket-holder, an interested observer, a European, an American. I know I love to see these collections, but I worry that we’ve upset some fundamental and sacred balance by the mere action of collecting.
I still haven’t shaken the mixed feelings I had leaving the American Museum of Natural History. But I do know that I forgot to stop in the Hall of Gems and Minerals. I never skip the gem room! Next time, I won’t skip the gem room.
Click here if you want to learn more about Studio Gang and their approach to designing the Gilder Center.