The lofty, cracked Liberty Bell; the starkly beckoning Vietnam Veterans Memorial; the made-it- personal, traveling AIDS quilt and New York’s “Wall of The Missing.” For many Americans, these images are a deep part of our shared memory.
But how have they actually influenced the course of history – and our collective view of it looking back? And how has our way of commemorating extraordinary events become more personal, tactile – even community- created over time? Explore those notions in the visual feast that is Judith Dupre’s book, Monuments.
She writes, “Monuments are our response to the collective need to remember, revisit, and delineate the dreams of history… Because consensus about historical events, shared values, and appropriate visual vocabularies is increasingly rare, monuments must find new ways to inspire and console.”
This cultural historian makes the stories of these monuments come alive. Read about the people who designed and built them and why – and those who are drawn to visit them.
Hear her interviewed on November 6th. Share this book with those you love over the holiday. Use it as a starting point to explore how you can create physical monuments to keep alive the unforgettable moments you’ve shared with them. Yes, there does seem to be a continuing thread here about taking the time over this holiday to commemorate each other – and what most matters to you about them.
Hello, Kare,
I found you from your link to my post on our blog about Judith DUpre (btw, she spells it with a U, “Dupre”) and wanted to thank you for the above link (“cultural historian”, to another of Ms. Dupre’s books).
http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/archives/2007/09/where_do_great.shtml
I don’t know how you pronounce your first name, but it’s obvious that you “care” very much about life and what really counts in it — so, if that’s not how you say it, maybe it’s something appropriate to consider? ; – )
Regards,
Bill Ross
Idea Champions’ blog, “The Heart of Innovation”
(…where we are not normally *so* focused on spelling and pronunciation.)
Bill, thank you for your oh-so-gentle correction of Judith Dupre’s name in my blog post. Your tone and style is so in keeping with the generous, educated spirit in which you write your captivating blog posts.