MASON WILKINS Staff Writer
Kauffman Museum brings back one of its most unique exhibits in the form of “Sorting Out Race”, where the theme of the entire exhibit is how racial prejudices and stereotypes are displayed in thrift shop exchanges. The entire exhibit is meant to be an educational exhibit, according to Andi Schmidt Andres, Director of Kauffman Museum, showcasing how racial stereotypes have been strategically done over time in products and advertising. I recently went to the exhibit and spoke with Andres and asked her about the exhibit and what she thinks about the contribution to the current conversation on social justice and the importance of this exhibit being available for Bethel students.
Be warned, because there is a trigger warning listed outside of the entrance to the exhibit and it says that this exhibit is to start a conversation about how these stereotypes are still relevant to educate and explore in today’s society, even though there are some racist displays showcasing harmful stereotypes to many disadvantaged groups like African Americans, Native Americans, and Latino Americans.
Andi Schmidt Andres believes that this exhibit is something that is totally relevant to right now in society. The ultimate goal is making sure that the conversations that are already ongoing in society continue to persist.
“...Almost everything (in the exhibit) is incredibly relevant to today’s society. Just think of some of the things like the Washington NFL team changing its name...Really what we want to do is start conversations,” Andres said.
There are a wide variety of stereotypes displayed in the exhibit and all of which were very informational for people that I saw in the exhibit. One major question that I asked was what was so significant about thrift shops that brought this exhibit to life.
“It’s really just where the idea started,” Andres said.
She said that the manager of the et cetera shop found these items and did not feel right about putting them back out into the world. The manager asked her if there was another museum that could use these items or just a different place that could hold these items and the idea was born.
It is great that the museum has this exhibit on display, but if no one sees it, the message is limited to the people who made the exhibit. I asked Andres about what they have done for promoting this exhibit during the stressful times of COVID-19.
“We have a number of classes coming (from Bethel). ...We’ll also start letting students know through email that they can come...Maybe we can have a college night where we invite the students to come see the exhibit,” Andres said.
Kauffman Museum admission is free to Bethel College students.
