Holocaust Museum Houston Week 2

Holocaust Museum Houston

Week 2: July 13-July 19

Roseliane Corona

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July 13

Education & Exhibits

    So much happened today! High School Teachers came for a professional development workshop about teaching Contemporary Genocides. I was designated the photographer for the day. As I channeled my inner Michael, I also had the chance to listen in on the conversations in the classroom. One insightful conversation was about The Boy In Striped Pajamas. 

    

    What made the conversation so fascinating was how professionally the Education team handled this topic. They explained the shortcomings of this film to Holocaust education and provided alternatives, all while maintaining a calm tone and attitude. The conversation had the potential to become an argument, but the Education team successfully steered the conversation another route.

    I left my camera and eavesdropping duties to meet with Alex, the Changing Exhibit Manager. This time we met in his office so I could learn about the software used to design exhibits in museum spaces, including the one I helped build Tuesday. He taught me the basic functions of the software he uses- SketchUp Pro. 

    Then we glanced over the upcoming Exhibits spreadsheet. I’m most excited about the exhibits coming next year toward October. Just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month, the museum is opening a Life & Death on the Border exhibit discussing the Texas Rangers’ brutal treatment of Mexicans and other travesties against immigrants. Then a month later, there will be a spotlight on the Tainos which I found interesting since Dani mentioned this in her blog.

    In the afternoon, I walked to Asia Society for a sneak peek at their new permanent exhibit. The museum is centered around teaching the community about various Asia countries. It was so interactive and futuristic. Right now, they’re only spotlighting five countries, (China, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and India), but they plan to add more as time goes on. I didn’t bring my phone yesterday so I didn’t get any pictures, but they invited me to the grand opening next week, so I’ll be sure to include some then.

    I’d rank today as the best day so far. I loved learning new things but also getting to apply them as the day went on. Best. Program. Ever.

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July 14

Audience & Adventure

Happy Friday! I started the morning drafting our social media post for the workshop yesterday and finishing the translations of a new visitor pamphlet. Once it's printed out, I’ll post a picture. The museum is aiming toward being more inclusive every day, and having as many bilingual resources available is one of their initiatives to achieve this. 

In the afternoon, I went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It was HUGE!  I went to the Butterfly Conservatory first. You’re supposed to begin by reading through information about different insects. I skipped this because I do not do bugs. At all. Butterflies, though? That I can do.

My favorite part was the King Tut’s Tomb exhibit. In fourth grade, I had a hyper-fixation phase on King Tut so this exhibit was little-me’s dream come true. It was a recreation of the tomb. It had information explaining who King Tut was, addressing questions of his legitimacy, and even compared exploration technology then & now.

I walked through a corridor to a room with treasures and relics, each labeled to explain their significance. Photos of what this room actually looked like were on the side. These tombs were built as a way to honor people both in life & death and were often lined with belongings, treasures, and other goods for the dead to bring into the afterlife. This is similar to Mexico’s tradition of Dia De Los Muertos.

    After this exhibit, I walked through the Hall of Ancient Egypt. It covered other significant figures like Nefertiti and Egyptian mythology. Next door was the Hall of the Americas which spotlighted the traditions and lifestyles of indigenous people in the South, Plains, and North America. It was fascinating seeing the similarities between these regions.

    The history nerd in me was geeking out the whole time. I didn’t think after yesterday things could get better but they definitely did.

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July 18

Meetings & Maps

Today there was a staff meeting. Different events were highlighted and departments shared any important information. I was introduced and invited to speak a bit about this program. I spoke without any hesitation because any opportunity I get to talk about YAP and thank Ford, I'm more than happy to oblige.

I had an informal conversation with Rosa Ana Orlando, an art curator on the Latino Initiatives Advisory Committee here at HMH. We talked for hours (literally). She discussed the different ways curators create an exhibit theme– conceptualizing beforehand or open call. An example of an open-call exhibit is HMH’s recent Withstand: Latinx Art in Times of Conflict. She invited Latinx artists to submit visual art pieces like films, paintings, and other projects with no expectations except that it be Latinx art. From there, she organized them into different themes. 

    

    Laurie and I took a trip down to the University of Houston (Lizzo is an alum here) to meet with Dr. Pamela Quiroz, the director of the Center for Mexican American and Latino/a Studies. She talked about how Houston hosted a conference centered around Latino art, Latino Art Now!, and collaborated with the Smithsonian Latino Center (or now the National Museum of the American Latino) for this event. 

    When the four-month celebration ended, she wanted to continue the collection somehow. She worked with a ten-member team and developers to create an interactive map. It’s a 360 interactive map with 2D renditions of murals, museums, and prominent figures in the Houston area organized based on geography. You can scroll up or down to go into the center or outer area of the city. As you click on the images, you might be greeted with avatar videos from prominent figures or music. It was Houston coming to life but Latinos were at the very foundation of this vivacious display, crafting a hidden perspective of a city and how it’s been heavily influenced by our culture.

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July 19

Community & Collections

Usually, I visit museums in the afternoon but today, I visited the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in the morning. The museum drew attention to how African Americans have always been in the military but their service is never recognized. They had old uniforms, exhibits based on wars, and even one focused on astronauts. 

What was so educational about the museum was seeing the behind-the-scenes from the beginning. As a museum rebuilding from the ground up, I didn’t see just an exhibit but rather an entire museum in the transition stage. I look forward to visiting in the future as they finish their vision.

After the tour, I sat down with Dr. Michelle Tovar. Talking with Dr. Tovar was inspiring as she was the driving force behind Latino initiatives at the Holocaust Museum Houston. She fought for bilingual labels, Latino exhibits, and so much more to push for inclusion. 

When working on our proposals for NMAL, a common objective that came up was intergenerational connections. Dr. Tovar mentioned that when the museum had a Bracero Program exhibit, she overheard a powerful conversation between a daughter and her dad. Her dad revealed as they walked through the gallery that both her grandfathers had been Braceros. Until that day, the daughter had never heard about that part of her history. From this experience, Dr. Tovar realized that exhibits are key to starting conversations within the community and even between generations so people can personally connect to history.

        In the afternoon, I met with HMH's Curatorial Staff. They're a three-person team managing the museum or borrowed collections. They talked about the system behind collecting and caring for different items. Afterward, they walked me into the museum vault. They explained their filing system and other interesting facts. 

    What I loved about this tour is that I got to hold some of these items, (with gloves of course), and it differed from the museum experience. Walking in the galleries, my questions would get lost as I was presented with so much information. Holding an artifact, though, gave me time to think and ask specific questions like how Jewish stars were made, how Nazi weapons are in the US, and the history behind seemingly insignificant items. It was history at my fingertips and a new way to engage with the past.

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