"Here I Stand ..."

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As part of the “Here I stand…” project , three exhibitions on the life and work of Martin Luther took place in the cities of Minneapolis , New York City and Atlanta within the Luther Decade .

occasion

“2017 will be the 500th anniversary of the publication of Martin Luther's 95 theses against indulgences. Today this event is considered to be the beginning of the Reformation and the birth of a development that influenced the course of world history. In Germany, the birthplace of the Reformation, Luther's authentic places of work are still preserved today and are open to visitors from all over the world. "

The anniversary was the reason to design an exhibition project entitled "Here I Stand ...". It was able to be realized thanks to the significant support of the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany and was under the patronage of the then Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier . Four German cooperation partners brought together most of the exhibits from their holdings:

The State Museum for Prehistory in Halle made finds available to the project from archaeological excavations of the recent past at the Luther sites in Mansfeld, Eisleben and Wittenberg.

The Luther Memorials Foundation in Saxony-Anhalt contributed exhibits from the property and surroundings of Luther, works of art and printed works as well as manuscripts from the Reformation period and the history of the Reformation and reception. The unique extent to which the holdings of the Wittenberg Luther House, the world's largest museum of Reformation history, could be borrowed was made possible by its partial redesign in the run-up to the anniversary of the Reformation.

The German Historical Museum in Berlin made numerous objects from the history of the Reformation and the history of the European Empire in the early modern period, as well as polemical leaflets and portraits of Luther, available on loan to the project.

The Schloss Friedenstein Gotha Foundation enriched the American special shows with art and graphics collections. They helped to bring the art, cultural and socio-historical environment of the Reformation to life.

implementation

From October 2016 to January 2017, attention was drawn to the Reformation anniversary in three different locations in the USA. For this purpose, three exhibitions on Martin Luther's life and work were realized, which took place around the same time, addressed different target groups and each had its own focus. The exhibitions were flanked by the two-volume publication, each in German and English.

Exhibitions in the American partner museums

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Minneapolis, Minnesota) is located in a region of the American Midwest whose population is largely shaped by Western European, especially German, roots and Lutheran traditions.

The exhibition "Martin Luther: Art and the Reformation" took place from October 30, 2016 to January 16, 2017 in Minneapolis at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The ceremonial opening lived u. a. the Minister of State for Europe in the Foreign Office, Michael Roth, the German Consul General for the Midwest, Herbert Quelle and the State Secretary for Culture of Saxony-Anhalt, Dr. Gunnar Schellenberger, at.

20,000 tickets had already been sold before the exhibition began. During the show, the demand for tickets was so great that the Minneapolis Institute of Art Museum opened the special exhibition on Mondays for the first time in its history. By the end of the exhibition, 111,000 visitors took the opportunity to see the largest Luther exhibition to date in the United States. The average length of stay in the exhibition was two hours.

The comprehensive art and cultural-historical main exhibition as part of the “Here I Stand…” project brought together around 300 exhibits and groups of exhibits on approx. 1,000 m², which enabled a tour of Martin Luther's life and work in eight rooms. Special highlights of the exhibition were, for example, the children's toys from Martin Luther's parents' house in Mansfeld (State Museum for Prehistory), the pilgrim garb of Emperor Maximilian I (Stiftung Schloss Friedenstein Gotha), the robe of an Augustinian monk from Wittenberg (Luther Memorials Foundation in Saxony-Anhalt), attributed to Luther , the pulpit from the Andreas Church in Eisleben, on which the reformer gave his last sermon shortly before his death (Evangelical parish of St. Andreas-Nicolai-Petri, Lutherstadt Eisleben), furniture from the Wittenberger Lutherstube (Luther Memorial Foundation in Saxony-Anhalt), sumptuous household items Luther from Wittenberg (State Museum for Prehistory), the Gotha table altar (Stiftung Schloss Friedenstein Gotha), the magnificent helmets of Emperor Charles V and his foreign policy opponent Franz I (Stiftung Deutsches Historisches Museum), numerous Cranach paintings and much more

The Morgan Library & Museum

From October 7, 2016 to January 22, 2017, the special show “Word and Image: Martin Luther's Reformation” was on view in The Morgan Library & Museum .

As part of a preview, in which the then Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier personally participated as patron, selected exhibits were presented in advance before the exhibition opened. The treasury exhibition had a total of 80,000 visitors by the time it ended.

Special highlights of the New York show were Martin Luther's letter to Emperor Karl V of April 28, 1521 (Luther Memorials Foundation in Saxony-Anhalt), the sculptures "Adam and Eve" by Conrad Meit (Foundation Schloss Friedenstein Gotha) and the Edict of Worms , with which Emperor Karl V imposed the imperial ban on Luther (German Historical Museum).

Pitts Theology Library

The Pitts Theology Library showed from October 11, 2016 to January 16, 2017 the exhibition "Law and Grace: Martin Luther, Lucas Cranach and the Promise of Salvation" in Atlanta. The cabinet exhibition was realized with the support of The Halle Foundation. The focus of the show was the painting “Law and Grace” by Lucas Cranach the Elder. J. (Luther Memorials Foundation in Saxony-Anhalt). The German Consul General in Atlanta, Detlev Ruenger, opened the exhibition with numerous guests of honor. A total of around 3,500 visitors saw "Law & Grace".

As part of this cabinet exhibition, a scientific publication with the title of the exhibition was prepared.

Lender

Accompanying publications

The catalog of all objects shown in the USA was published in English and German in October 2016. This was supplemented by a volume of essays for which 50 scientists from different disciplines could be won as authors.

“In keeping with the multifaceted nature of the exhibitions, it brings together current research by historians and church historians, from representatives of the history of art, culture and mentality, archeology, economic and social history. The spectrum of topics ranges from the geographical and spiritual origins of Luther to Lutheranism in North America. The most important events and aspects of the history of the Reformation are highlighted as well as the art and cultural-historical context of the Reformation. In addition, 18 innovative maps and infographics provide access to background information and some of them are the first to show important developments and relationships in this form. "

The authors include Luise Schorn-Schütte , Hansjörg Küster , Michael Fessner , Harald Meller , Martin Eberle , Volker Leppin , Martin Treu, Heinz Schilling , John T. McQuillen, Andrew Pettegree, Christopher Spehr, Susann C. Karant-Nunn, Stefan Rhein, Peter Blickle , Andreas Tacke , Johannes Schilling, Andrew Spicer, Louis D. Nebelsick, Peter von der Osten-Sacken , Dean Philip Bell, Thomas Kaufmann , Robert Kolb , Christiane Andersson, Hartmut Lehmann , Mary Jane Haemig, Michael Hochgeschwender , Hermann Wellenreuther , Thomas Rassieur, Dorothea Wendebourg, Stefan Laube, Brad S. Gregory, Tomoko Emmerling, Robert Kluth, Anne-Simone Rous, Susanne Kimmig-Völkner, Ingrid Dettmann, Franziska Kuschel, Katrin Herbst, Robert Noack.

Both books were published by Sandstein Verlag Dresden and are available both individually and in a slipcase.

Poster exhibition - #HereIstand

In addition to the museum presentations, the digital exhibition “#HereIstand. Martin Luther, the Reformation and the Consequences ”. It is not only available online, but in the form of 30 downloadable posters that you can print out yourself, it is aimed in particular at parishes, schools and other educational institutions around the world. Every institution can set up an exhibition on its own premises with a click of the mouse. The German language version can also be ordered as a finished set of posters. This offer was so far worldwide, z. B. from Japan, Ethiopia, Togo, Kenya or Peru, used. In addition, by mid-March 2017, well over 9,000 poster packages had been downloaded from the website in German, English, Russian, French, Japanese, Spanish, Polish and Arabic. As a special highlight, the exhibition also contains 3D-scanned museum objects. These can be viewed on the Internet, but, like the posters, can also be downloaded and printed out on the 3D printer.

The downloadable poster exhibition was supplemented in January 2017 by a rally in the form of an application (app) that can be played free of charge as "Lutherbound" using the Actionbound app.

literature

  • State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt - State Museum for Prehistory, Foundation Luther Memorials in Saxony-Anhalt, Foundation German Historical Museum, Foundation Schloss Friedenstein Gotha, Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Morgan Library & Museum (ed.): “Martin Luther. Departure into a new world ”(essay) &“ Treasures of the Reformation ”(catalog), Dresden, 2016, ISBN 978-3-95498-231-8
  • Law and Grace: Martin Luther, Lucas Cranach and the Promise of Salvation. Leipzig, Medien Profis, 2017, ISBN 978-3-944507-58-3

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Greeting from Harald Meller, Martin Eberle, Ulrike Kretzschmar and Stefan Rhein in: Martin Luther: Schätze der Reformation (catalog). Sandstein-Verlag, Dresden 2016, ISBN 978-3-95498-221-9
  2. ↑ Federal Foreign Office - USA - "Martin Luther would be an enthusiastic Twitterer today"
  3. ↑ Luther exhibitions in the USA are a magnet for visitors - mdr.de ( Memento of the original from June 29, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mdr.de
  4. ^ A b Exhibition: Luther Show in USA attracts 195,000 visitors - Mitteldeutsche Zeitung
  5. ^ Blog: The Reformation at 500: Protestant theology in art and material culture - Christian History Institute
  6. ^ Minneapolis hosts remarkable exhibit of Martin Luther artifacts
  7. ↑ A photo tour of "Martin Luther: Art and the Reformation" - StarTribune.com
  8. ↑ Luther's treasures travel to America - volksstimme.de
  9. ↑ Three US Exhibits commemorate Reformation anniversary - National Catholic Reporter
  10. ↑ Luther exhibitions in the USA saw 195,000 visitors - evangelisch.de
  11. ↑ Law and Grace: Martin Luther, Lucas Cranach and the Promise of Salvation, Leipzig, Medien Profis, 2017, ISBN 978-3-944507-58-3
  12. ↑ Martin Luther. Departure into a new world / treasures of the Reformation
  13. ^ Luther exhibitions in the USA - bild.de