"We have to move. My husband's been transferred to Southern California."

Discuss the issue of mobility among American Suburbanites?

How does the sometimes transient nature of the suburban lifestyle impact the nuclear family? What about the extended family? How might it alter one's sense of belonging?

Discuss how the whole issue of "resale value" is more a suburban than urban phenomenon.

How would this family's homemade "for sale by owner" poster fare in today's housing market?

"Every year I go to my mother-in-law's for thanksgiving and every year I swear I'll never do it again. But I always do, do it again."

Do you think holidays in 2010 are any less stressful than in the 1970's? What makes them so stressful?

Discuss the risk of experiencing "unfulfilled expectations" when extended family gets together for the holidays.

Are family traditions always as joyous as they are portrayed by the instigator? Does your family have any traditions that you wish would simply disappear?

As the men tend the children and relax after the holiday meal, what do you suppose the women are doing?

How do children view holiday gatherings differently than their adult counterparts?

"We really enjoy getting together with our friends to drink and dance. It's a wild party and we're having a great time."

Does this look like a typical gathering of young adults in Utah Valley?

How do 20-something friends typically socialize in 2010? How you do socialize with your friends?

What do you think constitutes a "wild party", as referred to in the caption?

Based on their facial expressions and body language, how does this couple feel about the success of their party? How might they feel about showing off what is probably their first home in the suburbs?

 

"I believe in woman's liberation. I'm tired of the image of the woman of the most sanitary toilet bowl, the cleanest floor, and the brattiest kids as the supermother. I want to be able to change with my children and to change with my life as I grow older. Staying at home and taking care of the kids doesn't help."

Before reading the caption, make up your own caption based on this image. Now, as you read the real caption, does it fit with your interpretation of this domestic scene?

What complexities does this caption reveal about the woman's movement during the early 70's? Are women today still grappling with some of these same issues?

Does this woman's logic hold, or are there some inherent contradictions in her argument?

Considering the tone of the caption, how would you interpret the print above the fireplace?

Do you find some symbolism in the fact that the family room curtains are closed to the outside world?

"I like the suburbs. They provide Girl Scouts, PTA, Little League, and soccer for my kids. The thing I miss most is Black cultural identity for my family. White middle-class suburbia can't supply that. Here the biggest cultural happening has been the opening of two department stores."

 Based on this caption, discuss the advantages for children and mothers living in the suburbs.

Do you think that the suburbs, by their very nature, are largely devoid of cultural diversity?

Discuss the difficulty encountered by racial minorities in the suburbs as they attempt to hold on to their cultural heritage.

How would you handle the pressure and complexities of being the only racially distinct family in your community?

What does this woman imply about the opportunities for cultural and social activities in her community? Are the suburbs of today so sterile?

"I wanted Christina to learn some responsibility for cleaning her room, but it didn't work."

Is a child from suburbia less likely to have a messy room than a child raised in the city? Is today's child more tidy than a 70s child? Discuss all parents' daunting mission to teach their children responsibility.

What might this image say about materialism and indulging our children with too much stuff?

Based on the angle of the photo, how do we get the impression that the caption is being voiced of a parent?

Does the child's direct gaze at the viewer indicate that she is intimidated by the task at hand?

"I enjoy giving a Tupperware party in my home. It gives me a chance to talk to my friends. But really, Tupperwear is a homemaker's dream, you save time and money because your food keeps longer."

What are the various reasons women might participate in a business run largely from their homes? (extra spending money, socialization, boredom, ect.)

Are such cottage industries as prevalent today as they were in the 1970s?

Forty years ago, were men as likely to run their businesses from home? What about today?

Such parties are designed to make us think that we can't live without these products. Come to think of it, how did we ever live without Tupperwear?

Based on the body language of this Tupperwear lady's captive audience, are they sold on the product?

 Discuss the clothing, hair styles, and 70s room decor.

"If the Bank of America knew the truth..."

 How would you characterize this woman's facial expression as she's making out bills?

What do you think the caption means? How is this attitude typical of suburbia in the 70's? How might it foreshadow today's banking crisis?

Discuss the following issues and whether they are still relevent in suburbia 2010:

     Living beyond our means

     Equating the "good life" with material possessions

     Maxing out our credit cards

     Having more materials possessions and being more "labor intensive"

"Because we live in the suburbs we don't eat too much Chinese food. It's not available in the supermarkets so on Saturday we eat hot dogs."

Reflect on the nature of the minority experience in the suburbs of the 1970's. Do you think that the reasons these people chose suburban life are the same as their caucasian counterparts?

Are the suburbs of today more culturally and racially diverse than in the 1970's?

How has the availability of Chinese food changed over the past 40 years?

How doe this family's choice of Saturday cuisine reflect their enculturation into mainstream America?

 

Based on this image, how have the commodities in pantries changed over the last 40 years?

Are most of the same brands present? Are they packaged the same way? Do you still use some of the same cookbooks?

What do the contents of this pantry tell us about this family in terms of their socioeconomic level, health concerns, personalities, age of family members, etc?

Do you think meal time has taken on greater lesser importance today as compared to the early 70's? Why or why not?

"Last year I got four pounds of candy. 72 jelly beans, 11 Hershey bars, 67 candy corns, 10 Babe Ruth bars, 24 tootsie rolls, 4 Peter Paul Mounds bars, 18 tootsie pops, 3 sugar daddy's, 21 licorice sticks, 3 Pop Corn balls, 15 jaw breakers, 3 Milky Way bars, 14 bubble gums, 2 bags of cookies, 11 packs of gum, 2 salt water taffy, and a candy apple. It took me three days and I ate everything."

How is Halloween in the suburbs different from Halloween in the city?

How has Halloween in the suburbs changed over the last forty years?

"We like to play war."

Compare the views of these children toward war with those of the mother in the last image. Do the perceptions of young children with respect to war and politics often mirror those of their parents?

Do you think these suburban children are too insulated from the ravages of the Vietnam war to recognize that "playing war" is nothing like the real thing?

Do you think parents, in this age of political correctness, are more apt to discourage their children from playing war than their 1970's counterparts? Are they more reluctant to buy their children play weapons?

As children play war in 2010, how has the face of the perceived "enemy" changed? Are children today any more aware of national and world affairs than in the 1970's?

"How can I worry about the damned dishes when there are children dying in Vietman."

 Discuss the impact of war upon a young mother.

Consider the irony of a family moving to the suburbs for its perceived safety and potential for living the "good life" -  yet the realities of war and violence no less appalling. Suburbia fails to insulate this family from indignation over a controversial war and sympathy for those who die in its wake.

Look for clues in this image of a harried housewife, yet one who seems intimately involved with the lives of her children.

Other than the 1970's curlers, could you imagine this scene being photographed in 2010?

"My dad thinks it's a good idea to take all the leaves off the tree and rake up the yard. I think he's crazy."

How is this image a commentary on man's natural inclination to maintain complete control over his environment? How does this comical activity reinforce this dad's self image as "master of his domain?" Could you envision the mother performing the same feat?

How might suburbia be viewed as an unnatural, synthetic, purely man-made environment? (Consider the manicured lawns, carefully planted trees and shrubs, manufactured elements, with little left to chance or nature.)

How is man's relationship to his environment different in the suburbs than in the city?

How is the son's reaction to his father's actions typical in terms of the parent-child relationship? Are things much different today? 

"This is Valerie's world in miniature. She makes it what she wants it to be...without war, racial hate or misunderstanding. Ken and Barbie (dolls) are man and woman rather than Mom and Dad. They enjoy living and having a camper truck is the good life. Today Valerie has the chichen pox and can't go out and play"

Do you think that Valerie's menagerie of interracial dolls reflect Valerie's own views, or those of her mother? What core values is Valerie's mother trying to reinforce? Do you think Valerie is considering these utopian ideals as she is playing with her dolls?

How might the sons of this home reflect these ideals as they play with their toys?

Discuss the irony of preaching tolerance and social change, while probably living in a predominately white suburb insulated from the crime and deprivation of the inner city.

What do you find unsettling about the phrase "She makes it what she wants it to be." Does life ever really work that way? And why is the mother opposed to the man and woman being viewed as "Mom and Dad"?

Why do you think the mom considers having a camper truck as indicative of "the good life"?

How is the home decor unmistakably 1970's?

"I don't like the space walk. It's Saturday morning and I want to see cartoons."

Compare children's Saturday morning experiences today with those of 40 years ago.

Why would this scenario be highly unlikely today, considering the viewing options available? have TV's changed much since then?

How do the magazines on the table represent middle-class subrubia's reading preferences at that time? Do you still subscribe to any of these magazines?

What do you know (remember) about the flight of Apollo 15 (as shown on the TV set)? Considering the magnitude of this technological feat, why aren't the children more interested?

"I put it off till I can't stand it anymore. The rottenest job in the whole house is cleaning the bathroom."

Is cleaning the bathroom still viewed as the least desirable of all household chores? Is this tast still relegated primarily to the woman of the home?

How does the angle captured by Owens serve to emphasize the drudgery of the chore? What about the woman's expression and body language?

What clues does the image communicate that place the setting squarely in the 1970's suburbia? Yet, what about the image makes it timeless?

How is the caption a commentary on the universal human vice of procrastination? Do you put off the worst chores until last, or do you employ the dscipline of delayed gratification; i.e., getting the worst tast over with first?

"I have all the cares of home ownership and the privacy of apartment living. We have an investment in the house. So I find myself doing all the undesirable chores to protect our investment."

What does this image say about male vs. female roles in the suburban home of the 1970's? Do these gender distinctions still apply to the division of labor with respect to domestic chores?

Why do you think the man of the house places a particular emphasis on his home as an "investment"? Do you think his wife views her home the same way? What about the children?

Discuss the fact that with every blessing comes a corollary responsibility. What are the "cares of home ownership" as compared with urban apartment living?

Although we may enjoy our homes, why do we often view its upkeep as tedious and "undesirable"?

"The California garage today, our of necessity, requires that you move the cars out and the tools in. To a point I enjoy working in the garage, but I'd rather be doing something else."

How does this garage reflect the tendency toward materialism in suburban culture?

As a suburbanite, this man could probably afford to buy deck chairs rather than make them. So why has he chosen to spend his leisure time involved in this pursuit?

This man, seemingly living the good life in suburbia, ironically indicated that he'd rather be doing something else. What does this say about unfulfilled expectations? Are life's dreams ever as wonderful wonce they are fulfilled?

"I don't feel that Richie playing with guns will have a negative effect on his personality. (He already wants to be a policeman). His childhood gun-playing won't make him into a cop-shooter. By playing with guns he learns to socialize with other children. I find the neighbors who are offended by Richie's gun, either the father hunts or their kids are the first to take Richie's gun and go off and play with it."

How does the historical context of the Vietmam war color your perspective as you examine this photograph?

What issues does the caption raise with respect to proper child rearing? Are these issues still relevent today?

As children, to what extent is our view of the world shaped through the toys we play with?

I

"It's fun to break up the glass. We're doing our thing for ecology and the boys scouts will give us a badge for working here"

Discuss the universal dilemma of mothers as they try to find meaningful activities for their children during summer vacation.

Compare the recycling movement of the 70's with the "green" movement of today.

According to the caption, what is the primary appeal of this task for the three boys?

What are service projects for kids like today? Do many participate in service projects or organizations?  

B

"Before the dissolution of our marriage my husband and I owned a bar. One day a toilet broke and we brought it home"

Discuss whether the suburban lifestyle demands conformity among its citizens, or whether it allows room for non-conformity and idiosyncratic behavior.

What about the woman in the photograph gives us the impression that she might be a little eccentric?

How does this image defy the notion that suburbia is monotonous and "cookie cutter"? Throughout this exhibition, look for the complexities and eccentricities that permeate suburban life.

What do you notice about the particular angle at which Bill Owens photographed his subject? Would the composition have been as effective at another angle?

Does the caption of this image mesh with your idea of suburban life?

What might this image say about the potential for some buyers to purchase a home beyond their means in order to live in the suburbs?

What is the one "luxury" that this family can't seen to live without? What does that say about their priorities and how they spend their leisure time?

In what ways might Bill Owens be subtly commenting on some of the darker facets of suburban life? Might there be aspects of suburban life that are truly empty?

Discuss the institution of the family vacation. Do you think family vacations are any more prevalent among suburbanites than city dwellers?

How does this family strike you as the typical suburban family of the early 1970's?

Discuss how this image suggests the affluence, leisure time, and materialism that are generally associated with suburban living?

Consider the irony of cherishing life in the suburbs on one hand, yet seeking to escape it on the other/

What were your family vacations like? Does this image remind you of summers spent as a child?

What does this image say about America's adoration of its family pets?

In what respect does this image reflect a typical suburban setting?

Throughout this exhibition, notice the role of the garage in the life of suburbanites. How often is it actually used to house the family automobile? If not that, then what is its function?

Tell us about your first family pet.

Read more »

"We moved up to a nicer house. We thought we'd do better, 

but the real estate man got us. Closing costs were

supposed to be $295 but they turned out to be $750. 

They have you where they want you - you've already

moved into the house."

How does this image reveal the less "glamorous" aspects of moving into a new house?

Discuss America's need to continually "move up" in the world-the desire to achieve ever bigger, better, and newer.

This couple has begun their suburban experience with unfulfilled expectations. What other disappointments do you foresee?

Think about the housing market today, and all the risk and problems associated with buying a home. How is our society mirroring this image? How are things different now?

"I enjoy cooking, dogs, cats, kids, soccer, and living here."

How does this image look different from what we might expect to see in a large city?

What kinds of sounds or smells might you expect to experience in this environment?

Who do you think voiced the caption? Does your perception of this image change based on who said that?

Does this image call to mind any memories from your childhood? Have you ever lived on a cul-de-sac? What was it like?

23 Days and Counting

As museum education student employees at the BYU MOA, we are very excited about the upcoming Suburbia exhibition! We want to just take a moment to introduce you to this blog. Each week, a new photograph from the exhibit will be posted for discussion. We want to hear all of your comments, questions, insights, and thoughts. As it gets closer to the opening of the exhibition on April 30th, we will post more information about the big ol' party we're throwing :)