Randall Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 These students spent 3 years creating a diodrama, a display, hand painting 750 soldiers in detail. It took 7000 hours, cost $23,000 in materials and when the director saw it contained histroical inaccuarcies he didn't send it back or ask for changes he destroyed it. One observer said it looked like he took his arm and wiped everything out. 3 years of work? Students outraged after museum destroys diorama Stephanie Anderson The Arizona Republic Feb. 14, 2008 01:45 PM Highland High students and faculty are up in arms after hearing that a diorama they helped build was destroyed by Texas museum officials who said it was historically inaccurate. The 10-foot by 5-foot diorama of the Battle at Palmetto Ranch, the last land battle of the Civil War, was shipped last August to the Texas Military Forces Museum at Camp Mabry in Austin, along with four other dioramas built by Gilbert students. Highland history teacher Glen Frakes is especially outraged because more than 7,000 hours were put into the project. "A lot of people are being crushed by this," Frakes said. "It was like a death. It was terrible." "Not wanting it and destroying it are two different things. This is about mistreating a beautiful work of art. It's irrational and it's an act of vandalism." Frakes, a 35-year teacher and a life member of the museum, has overseen the work of 21 dioramas featured at museums across the country, including the Smithsonian Institution. He supervised the after-school project that involved more than 200 of his students, who helped build, paint and complete the diorama in a little more than three years. Students and staff members assembled and hand-painted in detail more than 750 soldier figures about 2½ inches tall of the 2nd Texas Calvary Regiment. "You could see the grimaces on their faces and the buttons on their uniforms, the tiniest details," Frakes said. The diorama cost about $23,000 in materials, with labor worth between $60,000 and $130,000Frakes said. "The students did it all for pride and patriotism," Frakes said. "They did it because they wanted to be part of something great. Our payment was to have our work displayed for our kids to see it years later." A spokesman for the museum said the diorama pieces will remain secured and protected until a decision is made on what to do with the remains. The museum, which belongs to the Texas National Guard, had a change of leadership and the new director, Jeff Hunt, told Frakes in November that the diorama was historically inaccurate and he had dismantled it. Hunt did his master's thesis on the Palmetto Ranch battle and also wrote the book The Last Battle of the Civil War Palmetto Ranch, which Frakes said he and his students used as a guide while constructing the diorama. More than a dozen letters from Highland students, parents, teachers and Gilbert Public Schools administrators have been written to Charles G. Rodriguez, the adjutant general of Texas who oversees the museum. Rodriquez and Hunt could not be reached for comment. Students who worked on the project share Frakes' anger and frustration. "It was so exciting when we got to see it finished," said Alyssa Baxter, 17, a Highland junior. "I wouldn't want it to be destroyed so easily. If it could be sent back, I would be willing to repair it." Kristina Bransfield, a 16-year-old Highland junior, recently wrote a three-page letter to museum officials. "I'm still shocked about what's going on," Bransfield said. "I don't think I'll ever be able to get over it. I wanted to cry. It's one thing to not like a person's artwork or how they did it. You can always send it back or give it to another museum. But that doesn't give someone the right to take it apart like that." Col. Bill Meehan, a Texas Military Forces Museum public information officer, admits the situation could have been dealt with better. "We wish things had been handled differently," said Meehan, saying just because the diorama was historically inaccurate doesn't mean it had to be dismantled in that manner. Retired Maj. Ted Aanenson, who volunteered at the museum for 12 years, took photos of the diorama's aftermath in January. He found it lying under a blue tarp in the museum's great hall. "We were shocked," Aanenson said. "I gave bunches of tours to visiting students who were in awe of the diorama. I heard the kids say, 'I wish we could do this.' "I was devastated. It was a beautiful work of art." Lt. Col. Wallace J. Savoy, a member of the museum's board of directors, says Hunt's academic credentials do not justify the actions. "It looked like someone took their arm and back-swapped the whole thing," Savoy said. "A master's thesis doesn't give you the right to destroy a diorama." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 (edited) Edited February 16, 2008 by nuke'em ttg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 If I was gonna do that, I'd at least have enough respect to drop a deuce on it first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 If I was gonna do that, I'd at least have enough respect to drop a deuce on it first. it's like you knew my edit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budlitebrad Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Good. I hope these kids now realize that they are not all beautiful snowflakes and everything they do does not deserve a gold star and a place on the fridge. Welcome to the f*cking real world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grits and Shins Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I suppose the museum is just supposed to catalog and keep everything that is sent to it ... regardless of its historical accuracy and/or value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donutrun Jellies Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Okay, the museum fecktard should lose his job for destroying it -- and then someone should ask "Where the hell does a high school get 23000 dollars for art supplies for one project????" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 I suppose the museum is just supposed to catalog and keep everything that is sent to it ... regardless of its historical accuracy and/or value. No they should either decide they don't want it, call the school and say come and get it or pay to have it sent back, or tell them how to fix the problems. It happens all the time when a museum decides it doesn't want something. If you send in a manuscript you want published they don't like they send it back, they don't put it under their rear wheels and "punch it". It's called respect and common courtesy. This is simple. Send it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 No they should either decide they don't want it, call the school and say come and get it or pay to have it sent back, or tell them how to fix the problems. It happens all the time when a museum decides it doesn't want something. If you send in a manuscript you want published they don't like they send it back, they don't put it under their rear wheels and "punch it". It's called respect and common courtesy. This is simple. Send it back. Exactly. If its historically inaccurate a guys with a masters who wrote his thesis on it could have taken the opportunity to explain why to these high school kids and they could have corrected something that they worked on for 3 years. North baby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Exactly. If its historically inaccurate a guys with a masters who wrote his thesis on it could have taken the opportunity to explain why to these high school kids and they could have corrected something that they worked on for 3 years. +1. This ignorant POS probably is still pissed the Confederacy lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I suppose the museum is just supposed to catalog and keep everything that is sent to it ... regardless of its historical accuracy and/or value. Would you still think that if you found out if the museum director was opposed to the use of aluminum bats in youth baseball? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grits and Shins Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 No they should either decide they don't want it, call the school and say come and get it or pay to have it sent back, or tell them how to fix the problems. It happens all the time when a museum decides it doesn't want something. If you send in a manuscript you want published they don't like they send it back, they don't put it under their rear wheels and "punch it". It's called respect and common courtesy. This is simple. Send it back. The museum should PAY to send back EVERY single unsolicited item it receives ... seriously? It seems to me that the museum received an unsolicitied piece and determined that it was inaccurate and did not meet their standard. It is not like the piece had historical significance ... it was representation of a historical event and was recently created. Did the high school think to include specifications that said if the museum did not want their piece that they would like it back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 The museum should PAY to send back EVERY single unsolicited item it receives ... seriously? It seems to me that the museum received an unsolicitied piece and determined that it was inaccurate and did not meet their standard. It is not like the piece had historical significance ... it was representation of a historical event and was recently created. Did the high school think to include specifications that said if the museum did not want their piece that they would like it back? I believe Randall is implying the museum should tell the school either come get it or pay to have us ship it back to you. Sorry, I know it's more fun to argue against the other way. Carry on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Sure as $hit the museum should have paid to send it back if necessary. What the director should have done was given enough of a $hit to have at least called them and asked what they wanted one. He could have even be decent enough to lie if it save him some time and just tell them there wasn't room for it. If he really cared, he could have loaded the thing up in a $250.00 a day 27' Ryder truck took it to the school and helped the students make it historicaly accurate, drive the thing back down and display it. Since he's the expert and stuff. Probably would have cost the museum or the state 5-10 k and a week of dude's time. Sound like a good group of kids, why the hell would he have wanted to make a positive impression on them that they would never forget? The Battle of the Palmetto Ranch Museum? That's a flying f*cking roach. How busy can he really be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I would LOVE to see what the historical inaccuracies were. And then I can't help but wonder if those inaccuracies were included on purpose in order to try to make some kind of political statement. Ya gotta wonder what set him off. Oh man... that dude is going to end up paying big time (both financially and reputationally). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I suppose the museum is just supposed to catalog and keep everything that is sent to it ... regardless of its historical accuracy and/or value. great humanitarian here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 We shoulda nuked you Yankee bass turds back in 1861 when we had the chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 +1. This ignorant POS probably is still pissed the Confederacy lost. The Confederates lost? I guess we have different history books down here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grits and Shins Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Sure as $hit the museum should have paid to send it back if necessary. What the director should have done was given enough of a $hit to have at least called them and asked what they wanted one. He could have even be decent enough to lie if it save him some time and just tell them there wasn't room for it. If he really cared, he could have loaded the thing up in a $250.00 a day 27' Ryder truck took it to the school and helped the students make it historicaly accurate, drive the thing back down and display it. Since he's the expert and stuff. Probably would have cost the museum or the state 5-10 k and a week of dude's time. Sound like a good group of kids, why the hell would he have wanted to make a positive impression on them that they would never forget? The Battle of the Palmetto Ranch Museum? That's a flying f*cking roach. How busy can he really be? You are really advocating that museums everywhere should pay to return all unsolicited and unwanted stuff they receive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 You are really advocating that museums everywhere should pay to return all unsolicited and unwanted stuff they receive? They should probably give the person who created it or person who presented it the option to take it back before they backhand it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 You are really advocating that museums everywhere should pay to return all unsolicited and unwanted stuff they receive? I'm still trying to find the part of the story that said it was unsolicited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grits and Shins Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 They should probably give the person who created it or person who presented it the option to take it back before they backhand it You are presuming of course that information was included with the piece on how to contact the relevant parties ... which I doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grits and Shins Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I'm still trying to find the part of the story that said it was unsolicited. I am making an assumption ... as I presume if it was a solicited item that the museum would have been working with the HS and would have contacted them about the inaccuracies. I also presume if it was solicited the article would have mentioned that the item was put together at the request of the museum ... both seem reasonable assumptions to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I am making an assumption ... as I presume if it was a solicited item that the museum would have been working with the HS and would have contacted them about the inaccuracies. I also presume if it was solicited the article would have mentioned that the item was put together at the request of the museum ... both seem reasonable assumptions to make. I think your assumption is faulty in several obvious ways. But if you didn't keep saying "unsolicited" your argument wouldn't make sense. So, keep saying it, I guess. That's how homeboy rolls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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