84. On Richmond’s Transformed Monument Avenue, A Group of Historians Erect Rogue Historical Markers
Welcome to Museum Archipelago in Your Inbox, which does exactly what it says on the tin. Museum Archipelago, your audio guide to the rocky landscape of museums, is hosted by me, Ian Elsner.
Near the empty pedestals of Confederate figures that used to tower over Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, a new type of historical marker now stands. The markers have most of the trappings of a state-erected historical plaque—but these are rogue markers erected by a group of anonymous historians called History is Illuminating.
History is Illuminating decided to use historical markers as a medium to talk about the Black history taking place while those statues were erected as monuments to white supremacy.
In this episode, an anonymous member of History is Illuminating discusses the ubiquity of the Lost Cause narrative, the reasons for being anonymous and going rogue, and the means of historical marker production.
Gallery Continues ⏭️
Half of Museum Archipelago’s run ago, in episode 42, we discuss the process of erecting historical markers. Author and historian Freddi Williams Evans and activist Luther Gray describe their efforts to use official channels to erect historical markers in New Orleans, Louisiana. Like Richmond, there was plenty of commemoration going on in New Orleans, and like Richmond, there was almost nothing that acknowledged the city’s slave trading past or powerful backlash against Reconstruction.
Archipelago at the Movies🍿Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)
On every episode of Archipelago at the Movies🍿, we watch a museum movie to see how the museum world is reflected back through popular culture. But today, we're playing a video game.
A video game where there's a free-to-visit museum on your island. A video game where you've donated the entire collection of bugs, fish, art, and fossils. A video game that seems to take modern interpretive design cues from the latest real-world trends.
In this episode, returning guest Rebecca Reibstein guides us through the museum in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. With almost every real-world museum closed, what does this virtual museum reflect back about the rocky landscape of museums?