Provocative exhibit launches Feb. 29 in Columbus

Feb. 16, 2012 - PRLog -- COLUMBUS, OH — Once again, the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) in Columbus is sparking international interest as it prepares to launch yet another dramatic Controversy exhibit.  Controversy 2: Pieces We Don’t Normally Talk About opens Wednesday, Feb. 29 and runs through December. Controversy 2: Pieces We Don’t Normally Talk About is designed to open guests’ minds to race, stereotypes and the construction of personal identity.  This year’s Controversy exhibit will feature displays of five thought-provoking items: a Nazi flag, a child’s bowling set with ethnic caricatures on the pins, Courier & Ives “Darktown” prints, a Paul Laurence Dunbar poem written in dialect and a 1946 Cleveland Indians jacket.

Last year, OHS opened the exhibit Controversy: Pieces You Don’t Normally See, which displayed highly controversial objects and encouraged visitors to form their own opinions and examine their emotional responses to what they were seeing.  Exhibits from the first Controversy show included the electric chair from the old Ohio Penitentiary, a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood, a sheepskin condom, a crib-bed cage that restrained patients at a state mental institution and a thumb mitt once used to prevent children from sucking their thumbs.

Similar to the inaugural Controversy exhibit, all objects will be highlighted by a brief and stark description, with more in-depth information found at the end of the exhibit.  Visitors will again be urged to discuss with one another the issues triggered by each display.  Guests also are encouraged to write down personal reflections about what they saw and felt as a result of experiencing Controversy 2: Pieces We Don’t Normally Talk About.

Key topics from Controversy, including race and stereotypes, are also highlighted in a new exhibit at COSI.  COSI's RACE exhibit just opened Jan. 28 and is included with general admission or a COSI membership.  RACE explores differences among people and races, asking the question “Are we so different?,” while Controversy 2 asks questions about race from a historical perspective.  

Columbus is a city unlike any other. Vibrant and alive, Ohio’s capital city is known for its unique style: an uncommon blend of neighborhoods, events, attractions and accommodations.  Free visitors guides, maps and complete information about visiting Columbus are available from Experience Columbus, the region’s convention and visitors bureau, by calling (866) 397-2657 (1-866-EXP-COLS) or visiting www.ExperienceColumbus.com. The web site offers on-line booking at more than 125 hotels and the ability to build a personal itinerary though its “My Planner” feature.

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