Coming of Age in New Jersey

Abstract

Teenage New Jersey at the New Jersey Historical Society, July 1997 through July 1998. Teenage New Jersey, 1941-1975. Edited by Kathryn Grover. Newark, N.J.: New Jersey Historical Society, 1997. 126 pages. $20.00. When I entered the new quarters of the New Jersey Historical Society (NJHS) in downtown Newark, an elegant nineteenth-century townhouse, I was struck by the contrast between the genteel architecture and the bouncy doo-wop music echoing in the museum. I followed the music to the second floor where the Teenage New Jersey, 1941-1975 exhibit enticed me with its rock and roll, bright lights, and a glittering disco ball. In the gallery, the viewer is greeted by larger-than-life-sized pictures of Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen. As I wound my way through the exhibit jam packed with memorabilia, a middle-aged woman ushered a group of her friends to see the prom dress she wore almost forty years ago. As she savored her moment in history, a teenager nearby laughed as she attempted to do the Twist! The teenager's companions barely noticed, however, because they were engrossed in a video on the "African American Roots of Rock and Roll." Another woman scavenged through the exhibit looking for remnants of her own working-class adolescence. This is the stuff Teenage New Jersey, 1941-1975 was made of. This first exhibit at the Historical Society's new quarters, Teenage New Jersey, which closed in July 1998, made extensive use of popular culture consumer goods to explore the recent history of youth. A visual [End Page 127] delight with its carefully selected colors, images and typography, it engaged the visitor's senses on many levels and invited him or her to hear the music, touch the materials and feel the excitement of adolescence in the decades after World War II. Funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the New Jersey Council for Humanities, the New Jersey Historical Commission and the Chase Manhattan Bank, Teenage New Jersey was the Society's most successful exhibition in recent memory. Thus, it greatly helped a reinvigorated organization re-introduce itself to the public in its new downtown Newark facility. The broad appeal of the topic and the exhibit's use of nostalgic popular culture brought in a large audience as well as press and critical attention. According to Project Director Janet Rassweiler, the old site, which was much smaller and not in the heart of downtown, attracted no "walk-in" visitors, although groups did schedule visits. Since the move, casual attendance numbers have increased noticeably, and some recommended the exhibit to friends, further adding to the attendance. 1 Though the downtown location may make the Society more accessible, it was more likely that the exhibit's theme Teenage New Jersey was pulling in the crowds. The new quarters, with the firm emphasis on the recent history of the people living in New Jersey today, is one example of a welcome trend among historical societies across the country; they are returning to downtowns, participating in urban renewal projects and moving away from dusty representations of the community's founding and toward more dynamic histories of the multi-racial and ethnic communities within their boundaries. 2 The NJHS, founded in 1845, is in many ways a traditional operation; it maintains a library, collects documents and other historical materials and artifacts. Unfortunately, according to Rassweiler, it was also "dark, dusty, and boring." The institution was not reaching a broad audience. With this exhibit, the staff decided to engage the public directly by centering on popular experiences: "A lot of what we are as an institution is reflected in this exhibition. We used nostalgia and popular culture to grab people, to make connections." 3 With this exhibit, the NJHS has joined a recent trend among local historical societies to emphasize the social history of the people of their communities. For example, a recent exhibit at the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania examined the changing world of work...