“Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare” Open Now!

Welcome to JMM Insights, your weekly look at what’s happening at the Jewish Museum of Maryland. This week we’re looking at our latest exhibit, Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare.

An original exhibit created by and on loan from Jewish Museum Milwaukee, Blacklist tells the story of the Hollywood Red Scare, when actors, screenwriters, directors, and others were banned from working in the mid-twentieth century film industry because they were suspected of being Communists or Communist sympathizers. Through examining this moment in US history, the exhibit asks important questions about the contemporary political and social landscape.

Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare brings the history of the Cold War alive through personal narratives of blacklisted people, members of the House Un-American Activities Committee, and film executives, and tells the stories of Jews on both sides of the Communist/anti-Communist divide. The exhibit features film stills, photographs, movie posters, documents, and more, and explores the intersection of politics, popular culture, economics, and the First Amendment. 

“Remembering the lessons and warnings of the Hollywood Red Scare feels especially relevant now,” Jewish Museum of Maryland Executive Director Sol Davis said. “This show forces us to ask questions about political polarization, government and industry overreach, and threats to freedom of speech and assembly that are just as vital now as they were during the Cold War.” 

Throughout the run of the exhibit, the Jewish Museum of Maryland will host lectures, discussions, film screenings, and other interactive events that wrestle with the themes of the exhibit and what they mean now. These will feature programs highlighting how Marylanders experienced the Red Scare and other moments of political dissidence and political repression.

Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare features a recording booth inside the gallery, where visitors can record their own stories and reflections. In this way, the Jewish Museum of Maryland hopes to collect both stories of how Marylanders were affected by the Cold War Red Scare and how they are thinking about it today.

Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare runs through October 31, 2022. 

Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare at the Jewish Museum of Maryland is made possible by the generous support of:

Sandra D. Hess

Anonymous

Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Foundation

The Herbert Bearman Foundation

Larry and Debbie Caplan

The Eliasberg Family Foundation, Inc.

Arnold and Joyce Fruman

Kaplan-Kronsberg Family Charitable Fund

Barbara Rodbell Kornblatt

David and Suzy Liebman

The James and Emelie Schwab Family Philanthropic Fund

Lindley and Len Weinberg

Special thanks to:

JMM Team

P&M Exhibits

Exhibits at the Jewish Museum of Maryland are also supported by the following endowments:

Hoffberger Family Exhibition Endowment

Stanford Z. and Cory Rothschild Exhibition Endowment

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation