Constitution Center travels back to the unforgettable months of 1968
Written by Sally Friedman For the Courier-Post
Jun. 25, 2013 |
The year 1968 was one of the most tumultuous, culture-changing, difficult and colorful years of the 20th century. /
Jose F. Moreno/Courier-Post
If you go
‘The 1968 Exhibit’ at the National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St., continues through
Sept. 2. Admission is included with the cost of general admission and is $14.50 for
adults, $13 for seniors 65 and over, $8 for children 4-12. Admission is free for active
military personnel and children 3 and under. Hours Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to
5 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Call (215) 409-6700 or
constitutioncenter.org
So where were you?
Marching in protests? Buying bell-bottoms? Shopping for pop art? Watching space
shuttle lift-offs?
Or maybe in Vietnam?
The year 1968, some insist, was one of the most tumultuous, culture-changing, difficult,
colorful years of the 20th century.
Enclosed within it was tremendous chaos, a shift in the identities and lives of women, a
war that divided Americans, and tragic assassinations.
And it is that year that is the subject of a sprawling exhibition organized by the
Minnesota History Center and now at the National Constitution Center.
It is simply titled “The 1968 Exhibit.’’
But there is nothing simple about the impact of this exceptional collection of ideas,
visuals, artifacts and interactive opportunities.
Sarah Winski, exhibit developer at the Constitution Center, explains that “. . . the month
by month organization of the exhibit allows visitors to digest the main events, trends and
crises of 1968 in a way that’s user-friendly.’’
The impact of “1968’’ will be both emotional and intellectual, Winski says.
It will be particularly resonant for those who lived in that era, or for their offspring, who
“lived’’ it from their parents’ and grandparents’ tales.
There clearly are themes that emerge in the 5,000 square feet that comprise the
exhibition: Vietnam is one, space exploration is another, and political waves and
movements underlie everything.
One of the definite scene-stealers near the beginning of the exhibit is the reconstructed
Bell UH1 Iroquois “Huey’’ helicopter, which was used in the Vietnam conflict. It’s sure to
draw lots of attention from visitors of all ages. Among the other 100 artifacts is a full
replica of the Apollo 8 command module that orbited the moon.
And there are endless other attractions, from a marvelous collection of 1968 fashions —
think denim and wild prints on clothes, pop-art for the home, as well as cultural items
such as the emergence of the outdoor barbecue culture.
Sections are devoted to Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement, and the
back-to-back assassinations of Dr. King and Robert Kennedy in Los Angeles,
immediately after his victory in the California Democratic presidential primary.
Huge images throughout the exhibition are shocking in their detail and intensity,
including the violence that erupted at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in
Chicago, where Mayor Richard Daley authorized police to attack counter-culture
demonstrators.
Just when it all seems overwhelming, visitors will encounter “lounges’’ where displays
emphasize developments in media, consumer goods and music.
Barbra Streisand is well-represented, and so are other giants of that era.
One amusing display is a container holding discarded bras and girdles that were
scorned by some during the emerging women’s liberation movement, documented in
the exhibit’s September section with the Miss America Pageant as a target.
But so much of this exhibition reflects the remarkable shifting of American culture as
war, politics and trends make their way to our living rooms as TV becomes a member of
the household.
There are sections of the exhibit that chronicle our first “televised war,’’ and the bloody
Tet Offensive.
Later in the exhibit, the haves and have-nots and their divisions are sharply defined and
chronicled.
Guests are reminded of how 1968 brought baby boomers flooding onto college
campuses, how hippies came into the public eye, and the sexual revolution arrived,
presumably to stay.
Follow the exhibition through its pathways, and you confront the rise of the conservative
movement in the country, including support for segregationist politicians, with a law and
order mood broadening.
Visitors also will be reminded of the rise of the Black Panther movement, the American
Indian confrontations with the government, and the dramatic raised fist salute by Black
athletes at the Olympics in Mexico.
There was anger sizzling in many corners of the country, but there also was reason for
hope and optimism as the Apollo 8 astronauts orbited the moon before the last month of
1968 had ended.
By all means, if you go, wear comfortable shoes and expect to linger. You may even be
tempted to go twice, the second time with children or grandchildren.
The exhibit is dramatic and powerful — a metaphor for 1968 itself.