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Jill Willis
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On October 6, the Salem State Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CHGS), in partnership with the Lynn Museum opened a new exhibit consisting of large photographs taken by Richard Wiesel. The photos themselves tell stories on individual Holocaust victims and survivors through artifacts found and donated at the Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück concentration camps. Professor Christopher Mauriello of the Salem State history department, as well as director for the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, worked on this project and was able to provide some more details on how the exhibit came to be.
Weisel’s photos have previously been on view at a smaller scale in the center since 2019 when Weisel came to speak at the center’s annual Yom HaShoah. The exhibit was also utilized by the Center in November 2020 for a two-day workshop and public event on Nazi Medical Experiments. The Center followed this with a teacher workshop working with scholars from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The workshop provided resources on teaching Nazi medical experiments.
Professor Mauriello added, “Dan Eshet, Program Director, developed curriculum materials for teachers from the exhibit that we used to work with middle and high school teachers who attended.” Through multiple events like these the Center was able to foster a relationship with Richard Weisel and his photographs, so bringing the exhibit to a larger space was a no-brainer.
Mauriello described the work efforts as “a classic case of a team effort by staff and faculty to connect to the artist, receive the images, frame them and then research and write historical and aesthetic narratives and each placard.” Weisel, along with German colleague Dr. Sommer provided their research and basic information on their findings, along with a donation of large prints of his photographs. Dr. Dan Eshet curated the exhibit itself and directed the research. Stephenie Young (ENG), faculty research fellow for the CHGS wrote the interpretive aesthetic narrative and Professor Mauriello wrote the historical background of the camps. Graduate Student and Assistant for the Center, Aino Ahtiainen (MAT History), aided in assembling research and writing placards. Dr. Regina Kazyulina worked with Dan and Doneeca Thursten, Director of Lynn Museum/Lynn Arts created and installed the display at the museum.
In considering the exhibit, Mauriello wants students to understand that, “images are powerful but have their limits,” meaning when looking at these photographs, and any historical photographs in general, context should be taken into account to create a thorough historical analysis. Mauriello uses the photograph of a medical kit to exemplify this, “Given the placards and the focus on Ravensbruck camp and its experiments on women there, you would think the medical kit of scalpels and other instruments were used for immoral Nazi experiments on the prisoners or the so-called ‘Ravensbruck Rabbits.’ Not the case. As the research and placards reveal, the medical kit was used by a sympathetic electrician in the camp to help attend to and save prisoners not further their pain. So, assumptions can be wrong and context and research are key to accurate and meaningful historical analysis.”
The photographs like the one of the medical kit reveal personal stories of different individuals and reveal the trauma faced by many during the Holocaust. In doing so they create an emotional experience for those viewing them. Before entering the exhibit Mauriello encourages students to, “break away from friends and groups when you are there to engage each image and story as a personal story,” this will allow students to create their own thoughts on each image.
Mauriello is hopeful that in working with faculty of North Shore Community College in Lynn that there will be more class visits to the exhibit in the coming months. Weisel will be in the US in November to work on his project with the 9/11 Memorial and Museum so there may be another chance to hear Weisel speak in person around that time.
Any students interested in volunteer or research work within genocide studies and human rights should get in touch with Professor Mauriello or the Center in general. The Center can be found on the central campus in the Enterprise Center next to the bookstore. Students are welcome to visit, all you have to do is send an email in advance! The archives for the center are located in the Frederick Berry Library Archives on North Campus.
The Center will be hosting a Community Time Panel on Environmental Justice and Indigenous Peoples on October 25 with Professor Aviva Chomsky and Steve Silvern and graduate student Jessica Cook. As well as, a service trip to Rwanda in January 2022, a study and travel course to Berlin the week of April 15, 2022 including a tour of Buchenwald and a 2-week study and travel course for graduate/undergraduate credit to Poland and Ukraine in July 2022.
Congratulations and amazing job to all of the students and faculty who worked on this eye-opening and meaningful exhibit! Make sure to stop by and check it out, the exhibit will be open at the Lynn Museum until December 15.