The Power of Place
Secretary Bunch reflects on the power of place and the spaces we inhabit as our museums reopen to the public.
A few weeks ago, Kevin Young and I had the pleasure of walking First Lady Dr. Jill Biden through the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It was an honor for both of us to spend those hours with the First Lady – and it was a joyous welcome back to a space whose doors have been closed so long.
Although the Smithsonian has been active throughout the pandemic, finding creative ways to serve our public, the moment was as poignant as it was eagerly anticipated. As impressed as I am by how staff adjusted to a fully remote environment, there is a reason we have physical buildings. In the short time that our museums have begun to reopen, we have felt how different it is to welcome audiences once again, and how moved they are to rejoin us.
Walking through the museum with Dr. Biden was an indelible reminder of the power of the firsthand. Her excitement that the Smithsonian was open once more, the wonder with which she approached the collections reminded me why we do what we do. Particularly moving was her reaction to the Cabin from Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto Island.
Dating from the 1850s, the Edisto Island cabin is a testament to the resolve of the human spirit and the universal need for freedom. During slavery, the cabin had only one door for entering or exiting; in a cabin initially designed to contain people, that single door kept people penned in. After Emancipation, though many formerly enslaved people left plantations to move to cities in the north, many stayed on as sharecroppers. Living in the same spaces in which they had been enslaved, working the same land, the cabin became a place to reclaim ownership over their own lives. The family that lived in the Edisto Island cabin painted it and added an interior wall to divide it into two rooms. And, crucially, they added another door. That second door was a concrete manifestation of freedom – the power to move freely, to come and go as they wished, to redefine their own space and their relationship to it.
Standing by the slave cabin for the first time in over a year, I was struck by the visceral pull of history, the echoes of the past accompanying us on our visit. I could tell how moved Dr. Biden was as well. When you see that cabin, you feel the intensity of the story, the past brought tangibly forward to transform our understanding of what freedom meant to our ancestors and what freedom means to us today. At its best, that is what the Smithsonian can do. Our spaces add nuance, context, and potency to the stories we tell. And I am so pleased that the public can experience that power once again.
Dr. Biden’s visit reminded me that people simply love coming to our museums. I do, too. Walking through Smithsonian buildings once again, greeting friends and colleagues, I have felt enormous pride and gratitude. This community has worked tirelessly to keep ourselves, our families, our colleagues, and our communities safe. We have adapted and improvised on the fly to continue being the institution that Americans need and deserve. And at this moment, our hard work and persistence is paying off.
I am thrilled that by the end of August, all 19 of our museums will have reopened to the public. Though some things may look different – timed entry systems and reduced hours of operation, for instance – some things don’t change. The opportunities for accidental discovery, the surprise and delight of encountering an unknown object for the first time. The power that our collections bring, the curiosity and intensity of feeling they inspire in our audiences. The pleasure of being together with others in a shared space of learning and growth. The steadiness and commitment of our capable staff, who continue to ensure the safety of our visitors, our volunteers, and one another.
To every single person who kept the Smithsonian serving since last March, to every person who has made the moment of reopening possible, I say: thank you. Time and again you have proved the enduring strength of the Smithsonian community.
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Posted: 8 July 2021
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