Our lives under glass

So the National Museum of History has just aquaired new "artifacts" that narrate the story of Hip Hop. Here goes the blurb:

From the fluid movement of break-dance to the thought-provoking lyrics of urban life, hip-hop has transformed artistic expression for more than 30 years. This display of newly acquired hip-hop objects touches on the four main elements that make up hip-hop: DJ-ing, MC-ing, graffiti art, and break-dancing.

This display features:

• a jacket with graffiti donated by Crazy Legs, one of the most influential break-dancers


• a journal and book, Just My Take from MC Lyte


• vinyl records and a Technics turntable used by Grandmaster Flash


• a Sharp boom box donated by pioneer graffiti artist Fab Five Freddy.

I have no judgement call on it yet. But new museum aquisitions always make me nervous. Museum projects have a tendency to make me wonder, because museums narrate our lives to us. They threaten to misname us in or unname us out of our own histories. There are for aquisitions here (more or less) which tell an often told story of hip hop: Break Dancing as the monolithic dance movement. Women as private (read in the home) participants of hip hop. And hip hop culture overall relegated to one decade, the 80s. Which is cute I guess, things can only be curatized (yeah made that one up) when they are in the past. Things can be seen as a glorious pastime when they are in the past. This way, our lives may be easily depoliticized.

Along side these artifacts... and numer of others... lets tack on the century old history. The call and response. Little girl games. Preacher sermons. The great depression. The Black Arts movement. Reganomics and the myth of the Welfare Queen. The assasination of King, Malcom, and Huey. The Prison Industrial Complex... and your occasional just for the fun of it booty shakin house party.

Doesn't quite press neatly under that glass.

Full Announcement Here