Nipsey Hussle’s chains
“Having Nipsey represented in the show is important. This is something that, of course, all museum folks have to grapple with: How contemporary can we be in order to tell these historical stories that we want to tell? Nipsey’s obviously a very contemporary figure, and a figure who not only was sadly cut down in his prime, but really spoke to a community ethic and still has people who look to him as a role model. He’s become an icon very quickly. He’s a person who people feel a certain connection with, having not only enjoyed his music but enjoyed his message. That makes the tactile [opportunity to touch a model of the chains] even more important. It’s almost like a pilgrimage moment.” —
“One of the things about this truly amazing costume is that, of course, it resonates for many in my generation. I was in college when Margaret Atwood’s novel came out in 1985. But our consumption of literature also translated to the [2017 Hulu] series, and it quickly became part of popular culture as we continue to wrestle with the rights of women, especially over reproductive rights. We have a lot in our collection, and even though you think of them as costumes, they’re really the visualization of ideas, and ideals, and of characters. And the outfit’s also so striking as a physical object.
“Some of the most interesting moments around the ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ costume are seeing multiple generations of women who maybe, like me, read it in college, or their daughters, or granddaughters who watch the show on Hulu. So seeing them around the object is exactly what we want museum experiences to do: to connect people who might know each other, some of whom might not, around a very powerful object.”
“Even though you think of them as costumes, they’re really the visualization of ideas, and ideals, and of characters. And the outfit’s also so striking as a physical object.” Anthea M. Hartig, on the “Handmaid’s Tale” costume
“They have been out on display before, but I think that they’ve never been presented as magnificently as they are right now. In this new world, especially in the entertainment world, we can’t compete in terms of like slam-bang kinds of things — you know, Imax and sound systems and amusement parks. What draws people to museums, I think, is really these objects and getting to see the real thing, so we wanted to give people the opportunity to experience them as closely and as obsessively as possible, being able to see every angle. It’s something that was very much in mind as we were designing this exhibit.
“R2-D2 and C-3PO are these characters that carry through the entire [Star Wars] franchise. And, you know, they’re sort of the everyman characters. They have no special talents and abilities. They’re just the ones that are getting shuttled around from starcruiser to starcruiser and battle to battle. You see yourself in them trying to understand this huge world of Star Wars and all the themes that run through that — the idea of rebels fighting against authority. I think everyday people are much closer to R2-D2 than they are to a Jedi.”