Heinz History Center/ Pulitzer Prize Photos.

Before my visit to the Heinz History Center recedes into memory, I thought I'd put down a few thoughts about it. I rarely think of making a trip to this resource unless I catch wind of a special event or exhibition. Like most locals, it just doesn't occur to me to visit. It falls into the category of something that is perpetually available, and thus easy to take for granted, The last time I had been there was for a work-related seminar. On the occasions when I have stopped in, I have usually found it worthwhile. Yesterday was exceptional because I went with several people whom had never been there before.

We started on the top floor and worked our way down, deliberately defying the museum's suggestion that we proceed in the opposite direction. On the fourth floor there is a temporary exhibit documenting the role African-Americans played in the Vietnam War. There are a lot of relics, and photos of veterans. I have a special interest in that war, so I found the material interesting despite its rather pedestrian presentation. My companions patiently sat through a 15-minute documentary, featuring interviews with local vets. The most intriguing section mentioned the exchange of "dap", which appears to be simply some elaborately ceremonial hand greeting- but in reality conceals an entire system of non-verbal communication that was used for bringing buddies up-to-date with a soldier's experiences of the war.

Next we took a reasonably quick look at the many objects contained in the permanent Special Collections room. There is an abundance of objects owned and used by people throughout Pittsburgh's past. The stuff is organized and displayed in sections highlighting some of the many ethnic groups that have called the city home. It's all jumbled together, but each item is accompanied by a numbered tag that you can use to find its description in catalogues that are placed in front of the displays. In addition, there are fancy personal audio players that function as automated tourguides. You could feasibly spend hours in there. We didn't have that kind of time.

We went quickly through the other floors. They have a discovery room for the kids. M. had fun chasing me around with a disembodied mannequin's head. Another place with plenty of potential is the "Points in Time" exhibit, which has a wealth of information and images of the stages of Pittsburgh's development.You could spend another entire day in here, if you read every placard. We quickly covered the "Glass: Shattering Notions" exhibition and the Heinz Company promotional gallery. The latter did contain some amusing products from the past like granulated calves' feet jelly. Of course we all knew that grinning kids everywhere like pickles. I guess even a Smithsonian-connected museum must make its concessions to its corporate sponsorship.

But what we really came to the History Center for was the collection of Pulitzer Prize-winning photos. The entrance to this show had an appropriate warning for parents- many of these images are indeed disturbing. What is it about war-torn third world nations that sparks the interest of the US media? The shots of kids embracing each other after the shootings at Columbine seemed a bit light after the deluge of genocidal murders and atrocities depicted in many of these photographs. Some of the photos are so iconic that they are already part of our collective consciousness. There's the one with the naked Vietnamese girl running down a street after being hit with flaming napalm jelly. Another shows a starving African child shadowed by a vulture. Then there are several that catch people midair after throwing themselves from burning buildings. In many cases the photographers are given the opportunity to comment directly on the context and conditions of their work. Particularly striking was a shot of a Boston man brandishing an American flag as a weapon against an African-American official in the wake of forced school integration.

On one level it is remarkable how much emotion is conveyed by these shots. At the same time the totality of the photos gives one the sense of living in the endtimes of civilization. I can't see any possibility of a viewer walking away from this exhibition with a positive sense regarding the future of humanity. I would recommend that depressives steer clear. But if your spirit is fortified, I think that you owe it to yourself to get a head-on look at our modern times. Clarity may be its own reward.