Star Wars Identities

Not long ago, I heard about the exhibition Star Wars Identities, opening at the Montréal Science Centre in April. My first reaction, as a fan and as a person who enjoys seeing things I like in museums, was excitement. I am strongly opposed to the idea that exhibitions about pop culture subjects, like Harry Potter or Star Wars, have no place in museums, even if they are intended as blockbuster exhibitions (I also am not wholly convinced that blockbuster exhibitions are inherently a bad thing). These topics are an aspect of culture and deserve to be preserved, studied, and shared. And, they are also something that lots of people enjoy - people who might need that extra push to discover how great it is to go to a museum and see something you recognize and then find out something new about it.

But on the other hand, I'm not sure about this Star Wars Identities exhibition. The goal is that visitors will "learn the components of human identity in this character-driven adventure that explores what makes us who we are." The show uses Star Wars characters, and "a vast collection of Star Wars props, costumes, models, and artwork from the Lucasfilm Archives", to frame an exploration of the scientific concept of identity, which I admit is an interesting approach. But to me, it feels like a) an awkward way to legitimize a Star Wars exhibition and b) a lot of marketing. Sure, identity is a big theme in the movies, but I have a hard time believing that George Lucas's characters developed and behave in ways that exactly match the scientific findings that this exhibition aims to illustrate (especially when the creator himself seems to have a hard time keeping certain behaviors and motivations consistent). I also have a hard time believing that this show and the 3D re-release of Episode I are just coincidentally occurring in the same year. Again, marketing is not necessarily a bad or an unenjoyable thing. But the link between a collection of Star Wars props and the science of identity strikes me as a little too dubious for me not to think that maybe this sort of thing really shouldn't be in a museum, after all. I would much rather visit an exhibition about Star Wars itself - the cultural phenomenon - than one that uses Star Wars as a prop for science, or science as a prop for Star Wars.

Yarn, museums, and community

In the knitting and crochet world, LYS stands for "local yarn store" (or shop), which is exactly what it sounds like: a small, local store, usually more personal and offering higher-quality yarn than a big craft chain. A sense of community is an important feature of an LYS - they often host knitting and crocheting groups, classes, and other social events, creating community both in the sense of sharing a hobby with other practitioners, and offering a neighborhood gathering place.

In fact, the two LYS's I'm most familiar with both seem very rooted in their neighborhoods, particularly Looped Yarn Works. Looped is in the Dupont Circle area of DC, which means its neighbors include the Phillips Collection, the Textile Museum, and more broadly, the many museums in the city. It has been fun for me to see Looped showing up in a museum context, and vice versa, museums being a part of Looped's activities. Staff from the store are present at the Renwick's wonderful Handi Hour events (a happy hour/craft party after-five event) to offer knitting instruction or companionship. Looped has a podcast that recently interviewed a curator from the Textile Museum, and next week they are hosting a "super secret event" to celebrate an exhibition at the Phillips. I will admit that I'm not sure what Valentine's Day, the Phillips exhibition, and yarn-bombing Dupont Circle have to do with each other, but I guess that's why it's super secret. In any case, it makes me very happy to see two of my favorite things finding ways to intersect and mutually benefit each other.