COLLECTING TRAGEDY

For a long time, many museums have had unofficial policies not to collect artifacts considered “nefarious.” At the same time, other museums only focus on spirited objects associated with cultural trauma. Rarely do you find a happy medium.

Assessing what fits the definition of “nefarious,” however, always seems to be up for debate. There’s no true set of criteria for determining what should or shouldn’t be displayed at a particular institution. That’s usually left up to the discretion of the curator or those in charge. When making the decision though, institutions first assess their mission. Does collecting this artifact make sense for the overall content and messaging of the museum or historic site? If so, another question that’s often asked is “Is it too soon?” Meaning, has there been enough historical distance between the tragedy and the audience that’s visiting. And even if