Trump’s Inappropriate Approach to Museum Management

I am a museum man. 

There is nothing I love more than spending hours – days, if given the opportunity – wandering through galleries and exhibits, exposing myself to art, history, and ideas. I find it both inspiring and humbling. A great museum not only shows us what we, as a species, are capable of, but also how quickly we, as individuals, pass through this world. It’s a reflection of both the past and future and a place where interpretation can, and should, be encouraged. What does this painting mean? What do these artifacts tell us about the people who made and used them? What part did a people play in the broader scope of human history? 

It is, for me, heady stuff. 

The best museums, I believe, are those that have either the resources or curatorial instincts to cover a lot of bases. The Victoria and Albert Museums in Great Britain are a great example of this. They have no curatorial mandate and no specific goals beyond presenting objects and ideas that fascinate. That means mounting exhibitions dedicated to David Bowie as well as Victorian casts of Michelangelo’s David, with a period-appropriate fig leaf to keep the 19^th century ladies off the fainting couch. 

Another outstanding example – perhaps the most outstanding example – is our own Smithsonian. Often referred to as America’s Attic, it is a network of 21 museums operated under the loose ethos of reflecting the history and culture of the United States. Everything – from rocket ships to race riots – has a place at the Smithsonian. Everything, I believe, except political oversight. 

Recently, President Trump signed an executive order criticizing the Smithsonian, an institution supported by both private and public funds, for trafficking in “divisive, race-centered ideology” and portraying American values as inherently harmful. The order dictates that Vice President J.D. Vance shall work with Congress to eliminate funding for exhibitions and programs that ‘degrade shared American values.’ That’s a pretty vague mandate. It’s also problematic.  

A couple of things to be aware of here. The first is that although Vice President Vance, like all vice presidents, holds a spot on the Smithsonian board which is also comprised of bipartisan representation from both the House and Senate and selectees from the private sector, the Executive Branch does not oversee the Smithsonian. Congress provides that oversight. That, in my mind, makes the order, imaginatively entitled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” more symbolic of the current administration’s ideology than an instrument with teeth. I’m not certain that’s the intended purpose of an executive order. 

Beyond the question of can-he-or-can’t-he is the question of should he. Should the president dictate what is worthy of investigation and illustration. The marvel of the Smithsonian is its ability to present an incredibly broad and multi-faceted perspective on the American Experience. It allows every citizen, for free, to explore the complexity of our history and, in doing so, our future. Racism has been a part of this nation’s history, as has imperialism, sexism, and xenophobia. So have the movements to eliminate those ideas and ideals from the collective consciousness. Understanding one means understanding the other. History is not binary. It’s complicated and messy and, when possible, needs to be presented as such. Dictating, in any sense, what is Smithsonian-appropriate not only dilutes the intentions of the institution, but the ideals of the American experiment as well. 

Here's an example, taken directly from the text of the order. The order specifically prohibits the proposed American Women’s History Museum from exploring the idea of men identifying as women. Regardless of where you stand on personal identity versus biology, the truth is men identifying as women is part of the history of women in the United States. To forbid exploration of those ideas in a museum is the historical equivalent of hiding heads beneath pillows during a thunderstorm. You may be able to convince yourself that the sky is clear, but that doesn’t make it true. 

Understand this – I am of the belief that every idea and opinion is worthy of discussion. It underpins my life, both professionally and personally. I’ll listen to Republicans, Democrats, Hollow Earthers and Bigfoot Believers with equal interest and intensity. I may not agree, but I’ll listen. That, I guess, is what I look for in a museum, and the Smithsonian in particular. It’s a place where the full scope of human experience – cradle to grave and neolithic to new – can be presented and explored.  

To hinder that freedom is not freedom at all.