Between Fences
Posted by Duncan Page on Tue, Dec 22, 2009
As part of their Museum on Main Street program, The Smithsonian has put together a traveling exhibit entitled Between Fences. As explained in the exhibit's publicity article:
"We live between fences. We may hardly notice them, but they are dominant features in our lives and in our history. Thousands of types have been invented, millions of miles have been produced, and countless rivals have seized post, rail, panel, and wire to stake their claims. In 1871, the Department of Agriculture estimated the total value of fences in the United States at 1.7 billion, a sum almost equal to the national debt. Our past is defined by the cutting point of barbed steel and the staccato rhythm of the white picket. Built of hedge, concrete, wood and metal, the fence skirts our properties and is central to the American landscape.
The United States as we know it could not have been settled and built without fences; they continue to be an integral part of the nation. Fences stand for security: we use them to enclose our houses and neighborhoods. They are decorative structures that are as much part of the landscape as trees and flowers. Industry and agriculture without fences would be difficult to imagine. Private ownership of land would be an abstract concept. But fences are more than functional objects. They are powerful symbols. The way we define ourselves as individuals and as a nation becomes concrete in how we build fences."
Focusing on all regions of the United States, Between Fences subjects include all types of residential, agricultural and industrial fencing. Visitors can learn about historical and contemporary fences and how they have impacted the American landscape.
Has this exhibit come to your area yet?
Would you go to see it if/when it comes?
Learn more about the Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street.