Dennis Barrie has overseen the SmithsonianÕs Archives of American Art, served as director of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and helped create the International Spy Museum in Washington. Now heÕs overseeing the creative direction of the mob museum.
We talked with Barrie about the legitimacy of such a museum and about that incident in 1990 when Barrie, then director of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, was arrested on charges of Òpandering obscenityÓ for showing the then-controversial Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit, ÒThe Perfect Moment.Ó He was acquitted following a highly publicized trial.
What do you say to concerns that this museum will glorify the mob?
I think places should be honest with themselves. This is an interesting part of Las VegasÕ history. We know the mob is controversial. Some people say that a mob museum is glorifying the mob. WeÕve taken a very different view. Not to glorify the mob, but to take a look at the history of organized crime and its impact on America — what that has done to our nation and to law enforcement — and to tell the story the way it was, the way it is. There are volumes of books on mobs and mobsters. But people tend to look at the sensational aspect of it.
The story of mobs goes back to the various ethnic enclaves of America. Organized crime comes out of the tough neighborhoods of any society. These characters rise from the slums and wind up controlling big parts of the world in all sorts of things.
What are the challenges with this museum?
YouÕve really got to look at ways of presenting topics that are engaging and that will draw half a million people a year to ensure operating success. In Las Vegas thatÕs a real challenge because there is so much glitz. The biggest challenge is getting people to come off the Strip into downtown Las Vegas. The local population, at least at this point, doesnÕt go to museums — your percentage is about 2.5 percent. So mostly itÕs a tourist destination.
Do you see it as an economic booster?
There is a point in which any city has to have more. In Las Vegas, there are some people who could never leave the casino. But by the second or third day many people want to do something else, whether itÕs shopping or the Hoover Dam. The city has to recognize that more attractions and museums diversify options for your audiences. You can do a whole American history tour at the museum because of all the topics you can discuss — ethnicity in America, immigration in America, prohibiting of substances in America, the legal system in America, race, entertainment, international politics, unions. All of that is built right into the subject. ThereÕs not a topic it doesnÕt touch.
How do you separate the attraction from the museum?
Whether itÕs the spy museum, the Rock and Roll Museum or the mob museum, these topics have a lot to teach about American and world society. TheyÕre real touchstones to understanding what went on in the 20th century. They can be very serious places and still be entertaining.
Where do the acquisitions come from?
WeÕve had cooperation from collectors of crime memorabilia, law enforcement memorabilia, cooperation from the FBI, cooperation of law enforcement agencies from Las Vegas and other cities, and weÕve had cooperation from family members whose family relation was in organized crime. We have the St. ValentineÕs Day Massacre wall from Chicago that was owned by a woman who was in Las Vegas, whose uncle purchased it when they were tearing down the building in Chicago.
You were the only museum director arrested for pandering obscenity with the 1990 Mapplethorpe exhibit. How did that incident influence your approach to museums?
It made me firmly committed to telling it like it is. YouÕve really got to be honest with your audiences.
kristen.peterson@gmgvegas.com / 259-2317
Copyright 2010 Las Vegas Sun
