Embracing the Full Narrative
The 1904 World’s Fair Gallery at the Missouri History Museum.
History is not just an assemblage of dates, events, and names; it's the collective story of humanity, shaping our present and influencing our future. However, for centuries, history has often been told from a narrow perspective, omitting crucial voices and perspectives and leaving only fragments of the whole story. When parts of the story are missing, history loses its vibrancy, leaving a distorted reflection of reality. Uncovering overlooked perspectives gives us a more nuanced understanding of the past and its implications on the present.
The Missouri History Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, has had an exhibit about the 1904 World’s Fair since it opened in 1913, changing it every 20-30 years. Previous exhibits showcased the grand scale of the Fair, including the architecture of the buildings and the technological advancements on display. But the story was incomplete. When imagining the most recent iteration, the museum knew they needed to tell a more comprehensive story.
The museum recently opened a new exhibit that more fully tells that history. This exhibit includes the most comprehensive story of the Philippine Village they have ever presented, including the generational impact it left upon those involved. Adrienne Sharp, Managing Director of Communications for the Missouri History Museum, explains, “We knew that the old ways we had told stories about the Fair would no longer suffice. We had to change up our storytelling to incorporate more stories about the complexities of the Fair and do work to tell those stories throughout the gallery and not just in a small section of the exhibit. To us, not only is that the storytelling that we believe our audiences expect, but we also feel that it is the best way to try to bring the past to life for our visitors.”
A 3-D model of the 1904 World’s Fair, including the 47-acre Philippine Village. Photo Credit: Mark Hermes
The new exhibit features a scale model with over 300 3-D crafted structures. An animated color landscape is projected onto the model, providing a dynamic view of history. Included in the model is the 47-acre Philippine Village. In 1904, replica villages were created inside a living anthropological exhibit, and more than 1,000 Filipinos were brought to live and perform there, similar to animals in a zoo. The exhibit didn’t celebrate Filipino culture. It was designed to convince Americans that the colonization of the Philippines was going to be great for the Filipinos. It portrayed the Filipino people as savages who could be tamed and educated by the benevolence of America.
Ria Unson
Media pieces at the new exhibit share untold stories, including the story behind the Philippine Village. This narrative unfolds with sensitivity, allowing visitors to connect with history on a deeper and more meaningful level. Ria Unson is featured in one of the videos, sharing her family story. Unson is a conceptual artist who sees history as a story and her art as a way of transmitting those stories. Unson’s great-grandfather, Ramon Ochoa, was a pensionado. The Pensionado Act established a scholarship program for Filipinos to attend school in the United States with a full scholarship. The boys in the program also served as guides and waiters at the Fair. On the surface, it may feel like a great story. But the truth has darker undertones.
She says, “The intention of having pensionados at the Fair was to highlight the differences between the indigenous tribespeople and this group of 100 boys who spoke perfect English and wore Western suits. The Fair designers believed they were demonstrating how easily the Filipinos could be civilized into model colonial subjects.”
After graduating, the boys returned to the Philippines to fill civil positions, eventually becoming Supreme Court justices, national architects, and secretaries of various federal departments. Unson explains the downside: “The result was that within one generation, Philippine society was shaped to be a mirror of America. My great-grandfather returned to the Philippines and joined the constabulary, a paramilitary organization set up by the US Army. His job was to fight insurgency, which meant fighting other Filipinos for the Americans.”
Pensionados on the steps of the World’s Fair. Ramon Ochoa, Unson’s great-grandfather, is believed to be in the center.
Artwork painted by Unson accompanies the video at the exhibit. The painting is part of the effort to show a larger story and the long-lasting impact of choices made by Fair organizers. “Sharp says, “We knew we wanted to talk about the legacies left behind by the Fair in St. Louis today and that an important part of that legacy is the Philippine Village. When we came across Ria’s art, which speaks so poignantly and personally to that aspect of the Fair’s legacy, we knew we needed to reach out to see if she would be interested in sharing her art and story. We are so grateful that she agreed to work with us, and we feel privileged to work with such a talented and thoughtful partner.”
Unson says, “Because I have this personal connection to this Fair, I can trace the effects of this persistent racial narrative as they were imprinted on my great-grandfather Ramon and then how that endured through four generations of my family. The fact that I exist as a person who would look like me, talk like this, and use these words was the intent. I was designed. And one of the instruments of that design was the Fair.”
A painting by Ria Unson featured in the exhibit. Photo Credit: St. Louis Post Dispatch
Sharp explains, “We viewed balancing the stories of the Fair’s wonder with stories of the Fair’s complexity as an essential part of this new exhibit. We believe that to truly understand the Fair’s impact and why it was such an important event in St. Louis’s history, you have to try to wrap your arms around the wonder and the complexity at the same time. Those aspects of the Fair were not separated out from each other during the Fair, and they cannot be separated out as we try to understand the Fair today.
Telling history more fully enables us to celebrate the contributions of individuals and communities that have been historically sidelined. By amplifying their voices and experiences, we recognize their agency and resilience in shaping history. These stories allow us to confront difficult truths, acknowledge the suffering of marginalized groups, and work towards a more equitable future.
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