Isabella: Identity, Destruction, and Personhood: My First Exploration of the Penn Museum

If we view the museum's role as that of a storyteller, what story is the Penn Museum trying to tell with its collections? This afternoon,  I attempted to see what narrative was being weaved throughout the museum as I wandered through the exhibits. While each exhibit had a specific aim, the story overall was the creation of personhood and the step-by-step development of human civilization. For each region, the exhibits builds an idea of life and death and the influences a specific society had on contemporary life. Each region is presented as foundational to the innovations of modern society; however, there is stark line between which regions are plunged into the past and which are a blend of past and present. Overall, I believe that the Penn Museum attempts to answer the question, "Who am I and where do I come from?" It roots the birth of humanity in Africa, the origin of personal identity to Canaan and Ancient Israel, the creation of modern civilization to Roman, Greek, and Etruscan empires, the spread of religion and aesthetic beauty to China and Japan, and the development of language, math, and science to Iraq and Syria (paired as the Fertile Crescent).

To get an idea of the path an ordinary guest takes around the museum, I asked a man at the front desk where most people begin. Alex recommends each guest to start on the third floor because most of the exhibits are densely packed on top. By beginning there, it's easiest to see the most information at once. 

This lead me to questioning the partitioning of the exhibits from top, middle, and bottom floor. I initially agreed with Maeve's perspective that the effect of having certain regions on the top floor seemed to quite literally "raise" them to a higher level. However, I also recognized Lara's point that it's much easier to turn to the North America, Mesoamerica, and African sections as they are most accessible and strike you as soon as you step into the main entrance. As a Libra, I tend to be caught between two conflicting perspectives by recognizing the good in both. Astrology aside, in my opinion, separating certain regions away from more visually striking attractions (the gruesome mummies, the rare crystal ball in the huge domed room) can have an invisibilizing effect. It could also literally and metaphorically distance some cultures from others, even though global interconnections is emphasized throughout the entire museum. 

I thought it would be most striking to compare the African exhibit (the last exhibit I viewed on my personal tour) and the Canaan and Ancient Israel exhibit (the first exhibit I entered). 

The Penn Museum begins its narrative in the Canaan and Ancient Israel exhibit with the quote, "Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite." Similar to many stories on how people began, the Penn Museum began the story of "man" in Israel and the Bible was invoked throughout the entirety of the exhibit. I thought it was unusual that the importance of ancient Israel was only drawn to Christianity, excluding Judaism and Islam which both have important ties to the same region. This exhibit almost had an extremely Biblical narrative that spoke as, "God created man in Israel and from him, you came to be."

 It aimed to show what factors shaped ancient identities and how these ancient identities connect to the identities of people today. It rooted urban life to ancient Israel, expressed the intermixing of Egyptian and Canaanite culture through conquest, and the emergence of the identities of Israelites, Philistines, and Armameans.  This exhibit explores the creation of personhood in connection to the nation, gender, and role in the household. In subtle ways, connections were strung to its modern audience, such as through its emphasis on bread-making and the "Where do I come from?" interactive exhibit. Although the "Where do I come from?" was directly referring to clay shards, I believe it spoke to the guests and suggested that they come from ancient Israel. Overall, this exhibit shows the development of Canaanite culture and the development of an individual's life and meaning-making within that culture.The exhibit is immersive and intervening as you're forced to weave through it and are constantly affronted by boards and life-like displays. Although modern Israel is not discussed (nor the Israeli-Palestinian conflict), there is constantly a string that connects the personal identity of the audience member to the ancient identities of Canaan and Israel.

I believe that the African exhibit starkly contrasts the narrative of the Canaan and Ancient Israel exhibit. Africa is dangerously posed as the birthplace of humanity, as step 1 in the evolutionary path of modern man. While the kinship between ancient Israel and modern individuals is established before you even enter the exhibit, the African exhibits works on the assumption that its audience knows little to nothing about Africa and has little to no relationship to the region. As its audience is asked to, "Imagine Africa," they are immediately separated from it. It is something that must be imagined, not understood. To worsen this premise, the Imagine Africa exhibit gives little information on understanding specific African cultures and artifacts. While Ancient Israel is tightly examined and its development throughout time is tracked, Africa is reduced to a monolith and almost suspended from time. Ancient artifacts are presented beside more contemporary materials, giving the disconcerting effect that Africa is still rooted in the past, still rooted in where "humanity began," and hasn't moved past that moment. The African exhibit is neither immersive or intervening. The glass cases are backed against the walls and objects are crowded together. Instead of tracing life and death of a specific culture, the incredible diversity of over 53 African countries are placed into categories of subsistence, traditions, musical instruments, and household goods. There is a presentation of daily life, but not a strong understanding or narrative for the people who actually used and valued the objects. Although large signs emphasize the diversity of culture and language within the region of Africa, I believe the African exhibits needs to intervene into its audience with a stronger narrative of lives lived, the transformation of specific African cultures, and the enormous ways specific histories inform life today.