Intern Experience: Jewish History and Culture Exhibit History overview image

Intern Experience: Jewish History and Culture Exhibit History

  • Post Date: 04/10/2018
  • Author: Isabel Silverstein, Registration student
  • Reading Time: 4 minute read

Exploring an exhibit’s history is a great way to learn about what happens behind the scenes at a museum. As a second-year Library and Information Science Graduate Student at the University of Illinois, I was able to participate in an exhibit history practicum at the Spurlock Museum. My project began as research on a temporary exhibit from 1992 on Jewish history and culture. After combing through newspaper articles, old photographs, annual reports, ledgers, correspondence, and other documents, I discovered that the temporary exhibit was in fact a series of three concurrent exhibits in 1992, along with a fourth exhibit in 1994.

The three exhibits on Jewish history and culture in 1992 were advertised as a trio that all opened on August 24, 1992. Two were traveling exhibits, while a third was developed in-house. The focus of these three exhibits was to complement each other as they introduced guests to the religious and cultural aspects of Judaism. The museum likely chose these exhibits to show guests different aspects of Judaism and to show people items that they would not typically see.

  • black and white poster of a woman dancing with residential buildings in the background
  • display showcasing voyages to freedom through statues, posters and hanukkah
  • hero image: display case showcasing plate, teapot and other items from the european display

Voyages to Freedom

Voyages to Freedom, the first traveling exhibit, was created by the Jarkow Institute for Latin America, Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith. The exhibit describes the struggles of the Jewish people as they fled the Spanish Inquisition and resettled in Latin America and the Caribbean. It focused on their experiences in daily life, economic and cultural changes and the relations between Jews and their neighbors through memorabilia such as posters, photographs, and media.

Respecting an Establishment

Respecting an Establishment, the second traveling exhibit, was created by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. This exhibit focused on the first amendment of the Bill of Rights, the freedom of Religion, and its significance to the Jewish people. Informative text, quotes, and historic images were presented in the form of twelve brightly colored panels.

The People of the Book

The People of the Book, the third exhibit of 1992, was developed by the Museum staff. It explored different aspects of Jewish history, traditions, and festivals through the display of artifacts that are used for ceremonial purposes, such as a shofar that was loaned to the museum by a local family.

Heritage of the Jews

These three exhibits served as a precursor to the 1994 in-house exhibit that was developed due to the success of these three exhibits. Heritage of the Jews, also referred to as Judaica Traditions, was produced by the Museum in 1994. Over 100 Jewish artifacts from the Museum’s collections, as well as items on loan, were displayed. One of the highlights of the exhibit was a newly acquired 16th century Torah and other artifacts whose purchase had been made possible by donors to the Museum’s Judaica fund.

Europe: "Transformations: A European Odyssey”

Some of the artifacts in these last two exhibits can be seen in the Europe: "Transformations: A European Odyssey” exhibit case devoted to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. It is interesting to see the impact that a series of exhibits in 1992 had on the Museum’s current collection and how the Museum utilizes artifacts to tell a story in order to educate the public. Not only did I learn more about the Museum’s collection but I also found this whole experience to be very rewarding and I felt like I was solving a mystery in trying to create a historical profile of each exhibit. I learned a lot that summer about exhibits, how museums operate, and information organization.