Jason Steinhauer: Exhibitions

Exhibitions: Bringing History to Life

Winner: Grand Prize for Excellence in Exhibitions from the American Association of Museums

Curator
"Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War" took a groundbreaking approach to exhibit-making: virtually no curatorial text. Drawing on 450 oral histories of Jewish veterans, the exhibit relied on eleven original films and over 400 artifacts to guide the visitor through the experience of being a Jewish American soldier, from the outbreak of World War II to its conclusion. Jason worked as Exhibitions Assistant, Assistant Curator, and traveling exhibit Curator for the show over a span of six years.

November 2003 - December 2006, Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York. More info.
February - July 2008, Jewish Museum of Maryland (travel version), Baltimore. More info.

Visit OurstoFightFor.org to learn more.

	Lincoln and New York American History Workshop New-York Historical Society
"Compellingly informative" - New York Times "Immersive" - AP "Well worth a visit" - NBC "Ambitious and generally excellent" - New York Observer

Research Historian and Associate Curator
A new exhibition on Abraham Lincoln poses several difficulties. An estimated 15,000 books on Lincoln have already been written, and with the bicentennial of his birth in 2009, dozens of museums across the country held exhibits that detailed all aspects of his life. How to present something new about the President the entire country knows so well?

The American History Workshop approached the project as an opportunity to deviate from recapitulations of Lincoln's life and speeches, and analyze his complicated relationship with the nation's most important city, New York. Lincoln only visited New York six times in his life, and never for more than two days at a time. Yet New York made Abraham Lincoln the man we know today. New York's media power brokers elevated him to the Presidency, the newspapers and businessmen influenced his policy while in office, and its citizens led the apotheosis of him in death. New York defined the Lincoln of public consciousness and American memory.

The resulting exhibition has not only pushed the boundaries of Lincoln scholarship, but also revolutionized the public's understanding of New York during the Civil War. The city contested Lincoln in every manner possible: decrying his qualifications, debating his policies, even spilling into the streets in anger over his actions. In the course of his controversial Presidency, Lincoln's policies influenced the social and industrial landscape of the city. Through artifacts, imagery, text, interactive kiosks, film and audio, the exhibition has educated and inspired visitors, and received critical and popular acclaim.

Curator
New York: City of Refuge — Stories from the Last 60 Years
2004-2005, Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, New York
Using the inherent power of oral history testimony to explore complicated historical topics "New York: City of Refuge" introduced visitors to New York's most recent wave of Jewish immigrants-- from Europe, the Middle East & Former Soviet Union-- and examined issues of exile, refuge, identity and citizenship.

Exhibit Coordinator
The Holocaust By Bullets: The Mass Shootings of Jews in the Ukraine 1941-1944
2008, Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, New York
Adapted from the successful exhibit at the Memorial de la Shoah in Paris, this exhibit uncovers the horrific details of massacres in the Ukraine by Nazi forces. Born out of research done by Father Pierre Desbois, the exhibit text was re-written and furniture re-fabricated for display in New York.

Curator
Baghdad Revisited: Iraqi Jewish Artifacts from Private Collections
2006, American Sephardi Federation, New York
Displayed at the Center for Jewish History, NY, "Baghdad Revisited" introduced visitors to Iraqi-Jewish culture and recalled Baghdad as a nexus of Jewish life, before Iraq's Jews were forced into exile over the course of the 20th century. For more information, visit the American Sephardi Federation Website and click on the Back to Babylon graphic.

Other Projects

The 50th Anniversary of the Archdiocese of Miami
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Miami.
2008, St. Thomas University Library & Museum, Miami Gardens.
Jason served as director of the exhibit film.

Have You Eaten Yet? The Chinese Restaurant in America
Tracing the evolution of the Chinese restaurant and representations of Chinese-Americans.
Originally at Museum of Chinese in the Americas, New York.
April 5 - September 10, 2006, Atwater Kent Museum, Philadelphia.
Jason served as Project Registrar.