| Exhibition Review | The Journal of American History, 90.1

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| Exhibition Review | The Journal of American History, 90.1 | The History Cooperative

Exhibition Reviews

"Loss and Renewal: Transforming Tragic Sites." Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, 411 Elm St., Dallas, TX 75202-3308.
Temporary exhibition, Nov. 20, 2001–Dec. 2002. 200 sq. ft. Jeff West, executive director; Ruth Ann Rugg, director of interpretation; Arlinda Abbott, project coordinator; Melissa Jolin, graphic designer.
Internet: information about the exhibition and museum <http://www.jfk.org> (Jan. 5, 2003).

The events of September 11, 2001, have had a profound effect on the United States. The tragedy seemed surreal; the television footage horrific. In the days and weeks immediately following the attack, the United States tried to make sense of the unimaginable and inexplicable. Much of the media commentary immediately following that day focused on the unique nature of the crisis. 1

The archivists and curators at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza created an exhibition that both captured the tumult of emotions immediately following 9/11 and attempted to put it in historical perspective. They understood that the rush to compartmentalize 9/11 was premature. Their perspective was no doubt influenced by their ongoing work with another national tragedy, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 2

Responding to the immediacy of such a watershed event is not the usual mission of a museum, but members of the Sixth Floor Museum staff were moved by the way local media and community members were drawn to their venue in an attempt to make sense of September 11. In creating "Loss and Renewal," the staff wanted not only to serve the needs of the local community but also to capture the moment in time immediately following the disaster. The exhibition was a snapshot of the events of 9/11, framed in the context of other disastrous turns in U.S. history. 3

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