General Sources
The Invention of the Historic Monument by This book traces an important strand in the intellectual history of the West from the Renaissance to the present. During this period, consciousness of the remains of the past - particularly the monuments of classical antiquity and, in the nineteenth century, impressive Romanesque and Gothic structures - grew exponentially. Architects such as Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc, Riegl, and Boito developed and implemented theories as to how these types of monuments could be maintained for posterity. Analyzing the phenomenon of the historic monument from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries, Françoise Choay exposes its ambivalent character, as a symbol of a capitalist economy, as a symptom of deep social malaise, and even as a touchstone for the rediscovery of humanistic values whose relevance for contemporary society can no longer be taken for granted. Originally published in the French, this book was awarded the Grand Prix National du Patrimoine by the French government in 1995.
Location: Mugar Stacks NA2543.H55 C4813 2001ISBN: 9780521454742Publication Date: 2001-04-23
The Stages of Memory: Reflections on Memorial Art, Loss, and the Spaces Between by
From around the world, whether for New York City?s 9/11 Memorial, at exhibits devoted to the arts of Holocaust memory, or throughout Norway?s memorial process for the murders at Utøya, James E. Young has been called on to help guide the grief stricken and survivors in how to mark their losses. This poignant, beautifully written collection of essays offers personal and professional considerations of what Young calls the ?stages of memory,? acts of commemoration that include spontaneous memorials of flowers and candles as well as permanent structures integrated into sites of tragedy. As he traces an arc of memorial forms that spans continents and decades, Young returns to the questions that preoccupy survivors, architects, artists, and writers: How to articulate a void without filling it in? How to formalize irreparable loss without seeming to repair it? Richly illustrated, the volume is essential reading for those engaged in the processes of public memory and commemoration and for readers concerned about how we remember terrible losses.
Publication Date: 2016-09-28 - online
Public Monuments : art in political bondage, 1870-1997 by
Public monuments to significant individuals or to political concepts are all too familiar. But the notions underlying them are not so obvious. Sergiusz Michalski traces the history of the public monument from the 1870s, when erecting them became an artistic, political and social pre-occupation, to today when the distinction between public monuments and public sculpture is increasingly blurred. The author shows how, in its golden age - up until 1914 - the public monument served the purpose of both education and legitimization. The French Third Republic, for example, envisaged the monument as a symbol of bourgeois meritocracy. In more recent decades, the public monument has been charged with the task of commemorating and symbolizing one of humankind's most terrible catastrophes - the Holocaust. Today, although the artistic failure of countless European war memorials has signaled the beginning of the demise of the public monument in the West, it continues to flourish elsewhere, commemorating despotic leaders from Kim Il Sung to Saddam Hussein.
Location: Mugar Stacks NA9345 .M53 1998Publication Date: 1998-12-01 - print
Controversial Monuments and Memorials by
Out of the chaos and pain of Charlottesville, museum professionals, public historians, and community leaders must move quickly to face the challenges of competing historical memory, claims of heritage desecration and the ongoing scourge of racism. This book takes on the tough issues that communities across America---and analogous locales overseas---must face as white supremacy, political quagmires and visions of reconciliation with the past collide. The events of summer of 2017 that culminated in Charlottesville are outgrowths of ongoing dialogues and disputes about controversial history that encompass numerous historical situations and touch every part of US history. Strategies for working effectively with communities will be explored, and the book will delve into the ways that other countries have attempted to overcome their painful pasts. In addition, this book will highlight essays and case studies from numerous museum professionals, scholars and civic leaders as they grapple with the past they interpret for their visitors. The book will be framed by questions that help museum community leaders make sense of the competing historical narratives and political machinations that drive the current controversy around monuments and memorials--- -How and when do you remove an offensive monument? Hint: It'll take more than a screwdriver.... -How can we be intentional about contextualizing the history and the motivations for building monuments for our visitors? -How can communities be responsive without forsaking the historical record? Here is a guide to collective introspection, awareness of our own biases, and thoughtful community responsiveness which are the tools that will make this engagement meaningful and lasting.
Publication Date: 2018-06-22 - online
Article Databases
- America: History & Life (AHL) This link opens in a new window Covers the history and culture of the U.S. and Canada from prehistory to present times; indexes journal articles, book titles and chapters, reviews from numerous multilingual sources; all abstracts in English. Date coverage: 1949-present
- ARTbibliographies Modern (ABM) This link opens in a new window ARTbibiographies Modern (ABM) indexes and abstracts international journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern and contemporary arts, including photography, dating from the late 19th century onwards. Date coverage: late 1960s – present.
- Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals This link opens in a new window Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals indexes American state and regional periodicals, professional association publications, and the major journals on architecture and design of Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. Subject areas are architecture and design, archaeology, city planning, interior design, and historic preservation. Includes obituary citations. Date coverage: 1934 – present
