LOEWS Summer/Fall 2011 - (Page 47)

Opposite page: Adobo Tuna Tostadas at El Vez like garment workers did, while in the background, Morris Rosenfeld, “the Sweatshop Poet,” narrates his verses. Further on, a theater shows clips from Jewish entertainers like the Three Stooges and the Marx Brothers, and a touch screen offers bios and video clips about Jewish entertainment icons: Aaron Copeland’s story was particularly impressive. The Holocaust is also covered, including videotaped interviews with Jewish soldiers who liberated camps. The second floor covers the years 1945 to the present, featuring “It’s Your Story” on the landing before you enter the exhibit. Here, you can go in a booth, tell the story of your family’s roots and send a copy to yourself via e-mail. Descriptive panels blend into archival films about the founding of Israel, but I lingered at the section covering postwar migration to the suburbs, which included a vintage ‘50s TV showing clips from Jewish TV stars like Sid Caesar and a round tabletop displays home movies of Jewish families celebrating religious ceremonies and weddings. Overall, “museum” is the wrong word for NMAJH—it’s an illuminating journey into American life. Freedom Lives I took a different journey just a block away at 5th and Arch at the National Constitution Center. Here, you’re immersed in what makes the Constitution so key to our lives. Before wandering it, you may want to kick off by seeing Freedom Rising, a multimedia show on the first floor. You see it in the Kimmel Theater, whose rounded ceilings with video panels make it look more like a planetarium. An actor narrates while images rotate on the screen, along with quotes from the delegates who debated over the Constitution. The combination of the actor, images and sound drive home magnificently the thorny process of creating the Constitution and its imperfections, including the way it espoused freedom yet tolerated slavery. But the presentation goes beyond the initial draft to cover the conflicts that continue to this day and poses a final question that still has resonance and probably always will: “What will we do with freedom?” Upon exiting Freedom Rising, a quick turn will lead you to Signers’ Hall, a popular exhibit that shows statues of the signers of the Constitution in various poses. Kids seemed to love hugging and mugging for photos next to the founding fathers— and so do adults. Guests can also “sign” the Constitution at a large guestbook in the Hall. Around the corner is a rare public printing of the Constitution, which originally appeared in the Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser in 1784, offered for the low-low price of four pence. Stepping away from Signers’ Hall takes you into an array of interactive exhibits. The American National Tree features dozens of faces floating on a screen. Touch one, and their story comes up. That’s how I learned about Daniel Inouye, Hawaii’s first congressman, and lawyer Pauli Murray, whose advocacy led to the Supreme Court ruling that discrimination against women violated the 14th Amendment’s protection clause. I liked the “talking books” exhibit that shows the tomes of famous thinkers—John Locke, Aristotle and Thomas Paine—whose ideas influenced the Constitution. Hit a button on a book and you get a breakdown of their influential ideas, along with a quote from them. The naturalization exhibit drew me in, too: here, you can take 15 of the questions on the U.S. citizenship test and test your knowledge. I got all 15 right, but no prize other than a smug sense of satisfaction, which I kind of had already. Nearby, a quiz show-style game lets visitors split into teams to answer trivia questions, including, “Which two women gave birth to children who were U.S. presidents just like their fathers?” (The answer is Abigail Adams and Barbara Bush, mothers of John Quincy Adams and George W. Bush, in case you want to amaze your friends with your historical knowledge.) You can also vote for past presidents in another exhibit: in the Center’s tally, so far Washington is number one, followed by Lincoln and Kennedy, with Truman dead last. Poor Harry! Yet another one allows you to try on a Supreme Court justice’s robe and an interactive Constitution lets you crack it open to get a look at the amendments and what they mean. GettinG An eyeFuL The history is indeed rich, but names, dates and landmarks aren’t the only draws. Tourists come to run up the Philadelphia Art Museum steps like Rocky, and stay to browse its exquisite collection. I’m a big fan of that Museum and the Rodin Museum located right down the street, but I didn’t know much about the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA). It’s our nation’s summer/fall 2011 47 

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of LOEWS Summer/Fall 2011

The Great Outdoors
Shore Things
Carmen Herrera
The Right App-Titudes
Spice Routes
Futiles Fixes
Music City Sampler
The Future of Flying
The Stories Behind the Songs
Romantic Pleasure in the Pink Palace
Philly 2.0
The Breakfast Club
Local Living
News and Notes

LOEWS Summer/Fall 2011

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