The New-York Historical Society's "Notorious RBG" Exhibition Salutes The Life And Legacy Of The Iconic Columbia Alumna

Upper West Side NY

28 October, 2021

1:11 PM

Description

Columbia Daily Spectator BY WILLIAM GEE OCTOBER 27, 2021 While Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Law '59 and a former Columbia Law School professor, has long been revered for her dedication to the progression of gender equality and civil rights,. Her ardent commitment to these issues of social justice is displayed in the New-York Historical Society's latest exhibition, "Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg," on display from Oct. 1 to Jan. 23. The exhibition, based on the eponymous book by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik—the latter of whom created the now-iconic Tumblr account that brought attention to Ginsburg's moniker "Notorious RBG"—takes visitors on a multimedia journey through Ginsburg's life, comprising video installations, archival photographs and documents, and even Ginsburg's Supreme Court robe and jabot. The internet moniker "Notorious RBG" creates a deliberate incongruity—Ginsburg's quiet, constant determination seems at odds with her fleeting and often ostentatious internet fame—but this dissonance emphasizes Ginsburg's widespread impact, including on the social media generation. Dr. Anna Danziger Halperin, BC '06, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Women's History and Public History and co-curator of the exhibition explained this tension. Halperin noted that "it was so unlikely that she becomes this pop culture icon because she… saw herself as doing the work, she wasn't trying to be this pop star that she becomes, she was just trying to… push for making the world a better place." The exhibition leads viewers through Ginsburg's time as the first woman on the Columbia Law Review and as Columbia Law School's first tenured female professor. Her years teaching at the Law School were a distinct period of trailblazing, as she worked on sex discrimination cases at the American Civil Liberties Union Women's Rights Project, and successfully brought six landmark cases to the Supreme Court. Halperin emphasized how intertwined Columbia is with Ginsburg's work. "It's definitely a Columbia story, as well as a New York story and a story of American history in general." Having traveled across the country since opening at Los Angeles' Skirball Cultural Center in 2018, the exhibition is experiencing its true homecoming in New York, emphasized by the New York-centric elements added by the Historical Society. "Aside from bringing out the elements that were central to women's history, we also really wanted to ground the story in [Ginsburg's] life in New York," Halperin said. Upon entering, there is a video installation of 19 New York locations significant to Ginsburg's life, such as her childhood school, the ACLU, and Columbia University. Fittingly, the opening section is also composed of depictions of Ginsburg's relationship with the Historical Society itself, notably her presiding over a naturalization ceremony for its citizenship project. This introduction to the exhibition serves to demonstrate Ginsburg's constant commitment to diversity. "[This inclusion] ties into the show's broader theme too about … her life's work, expanding 'We the People' to be all people," Halperin said. By incorporating the people, places, and laws that impacted Ginsburg's life and legacy, the exhibition highlights Ginsburg's continual acknowledgment of her predecessors. "One of the points that we want to sort of bring out through the exhibit is … this story of intergenerational activism. … RBG herself was working on … the shoulders of people like [civil rights activist] Pauli Murray and [New York attorney] Dorothy Kenyon," Halperin said. In fact, the exhibition devotes a small section just to Murray, noting how she inspired Ginsburg to fight for equal protection for women under the 14th Amendment. This inspiration culminated in Ginsburg's inclusion of Murray as a co-author in her Reed brief for the landmark sex discrimiantion case Reed v. Reed, despite Murray never being involved in writing it. The exhibit closes with a collection of images from around New York City after Ginsburg's death. This final part of the exhibition was particularly poignant; Halperin noted that it had to be changed after Ginsburg's passing—it could no longer simply focus on Ginsburg's life accomplishments. Instead, the gallery directly engages the viewers, concluding with the idea that everyone is now responsible for continuing Ginsburg's legacy. "The original conclusion of the exhibit was that she's not done yet. … One of the heartbreaking things about carrying [the exhibit] on after she passed is that we had to change that," Halperin said. "[Ginsburg] personally is done, but now it's up to all of us to carry that on." Staff writer William Gee can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow Spectator on Twitter @ColumbiaSpec. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.