Neglected Histories

As soon as I stepped in the door of the Bloomington Antique Mall, I felt at home. The smell of aged antique wood and books is a very familiar and comforting smell to me. Ever since I can remember there have always been antiques and collectibles in my life. The first person I thought of when I walked in and looked around was my grandfather. All his life he devoted every chance he could get to collecting, trading, and selling antiques. He owned a small antique mall in Carmel Indiana called The Heritage of Carmel. I will admit that there was a sense of sadness that overwhelmed me as I walked around, but only because everything I saw brought back good memories. It reminded me of how much I miss him. I was surprised to see that many of the items in the mall resembled many of the items that my grandfather had in his shop. On in particular was the wooden cigar store Indian that is brightly painted and really tall. My grandfather had three or four variations of the one that I saw. He gave my mother one of them and I grew up with it in my house. My mother, very much like her father, adores antiques and most of our house was filled with them.

In Gordon's Historical Display, Commerce, and Community, he discusses the idea of neglected private histories. He also explains that these smaller museums, truck stops, and antique malls are more personal. These places, whether classified as a museum or not, are a place to invite the visitor to have a perspective on the past through an exhibition medium. He also discusses that these kinds of private places are interesting places to visit because they allow the visitor to bring prior knowledge and motivations of understanding and interpreting themes. In the Bloomington Antique Mall his points are reflected. When I walked in the mall I had prior knowledge and memories about antiques. A lot of what I saw connected with my past and I made personal assumptions about people who might have owned the objects displayed,  in regards to my own experiences. I think this makes things so much more interesting.

On one level, visiting places like the Indiana University Art Museum are  great learning experiences. But I do feel like there is a disconnect when the objects you are viewing are not part of your culture or a part of your past. I think it is very important to learn about cultures and places around the world so you have a greater appreciation for what people can create, but it becomes difficult to connect with something that is not familiar. I also think that society neglects to see what is in front of them. The idea of a public private museum seems like an alien idea, but how cool is that? Exposing yourself and presenting the past through everyday objects that people consider private and personal.

Gordon also mentions the three concepts of community, entrepreneurial, and vernacular as public dialogue in various exhibitions. The Bloomington Antique Mall brings to light all three of these concepts. It has local history, it imitates the functions of small business, and also makes consumption an act of public identification. The fact that all the items in the mall are for sale, allows the history of the objects to continue and get passed on to another private owner. It is a cycle. We make assumptions about what are displayed in the mall, we buy objects that we find valuable and has personal history, and then eventually we are judged for what we display. It makes you wonder why something so common and close to peoples' hearts is neglected to be seen as history.