The Highland House Museum
Truro, MA Summer 2018
In the summer of 2018, I curated Mid-Century: The Outer Cape Comes of Age as a consultant to the Highland House Museum. The exhibition explored the various factors that emerged in the late 1950s and mid-1960s and resulted in significant growth and development on the Outer Cape. Topics included the creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore, the role of the North Truro Airforce Station, the Mid-Century Modern Architecture Movement, and the Extension of Route 6 to Provincetown.
The creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore was spearheaded by President John F. Kennedy, whose personal connection to Cape Cod inspired his commitment to preserving and protecting the region for future use.
The extension of Route 6 to Provincetown resulted in increased tourism, a building boom, and the flourishing of commerce on the Outer Cape.
Famous 20th century architects, such as Marcel Breuer and Walter Gropius, built homes on the Outer Cape that embodied their desire to merge nature with domestic life. Their use of natural materials and blending of interior and exterior space aimed to harmonize a home with its surroundings.
I borrowed wooden models of mid-century modern homes from the Cape Cod Modern House Trust. These three-dimensional representations offered museumgoers a close look at the spatial planning of these homes.
I assembled this timeline to provide historical context for the exhibit. The images and information described events going on in the U.S. and around the world from the mid-1950s until the mid-1960s.
From the 1950s until the mid-1980s, the North Truro Airforce Station was home to several hundred people. The radar station was used to detect Russian submarines off the Atlantic coast. While the mission of the station was sober, the tight-knit community enjoyed everyday activities and holidays.