From the Director:

It seems all our staff is doing these days is taking field trips to other museums. People! We really need to get a little less focused! How about an actual exhibition once in a while?

The latest addition to the list of our possible reciprocal membership admissions, in honor of the Year of the Rabbit, is the Bunny Museum in L.A. It’s the hoppiest place in the world! As a visitor attests in this post.

Our sister institutions are multiplying like rabbits! is a post from: museum of folly

Our Membership department was excited to learn about a new institution called The Museum of Obsessions. We hope to arrange reciprocal admission for our members.

Another Sister Institution: The Museum of Obsessions is a post from: museum of folly

The museum’s Membership department is exploring the possibility of a reciprocal museums program. Some of the institutions we are hoping to partner with include the following. We will add more institutions to the list as we continue our research:

• Barber Jon’s Museum of Curiosities and Oddities
• Bigfoot Discovery Museum
• Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia
• Burt Reynolds and Friends Museum
• Corn Palace
• The Farm Wrench Museum
• Icelandic Phallological Museum
• International UFO Museum and Research Center
• Museum of Bad Art
• Museum of Jurassic Technology
• The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices
• SPAM Museum
• Sulabh International Museum of Toilets

We welcome suggestions from the public about other museums for possible inclusion in this program.

Sister Institutions is a post from: museum of folly

Book; ink and colors on paper
Via the Museum of Bad Art

Our sister institution, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) has announced the publication of a catalogue of highlights from its collection. It is a remarkable work, and we have obtained an advance copy for display here in our galleries (the publication is also available for purchase in the MoFo Bookstore).

The mission of MOBA, located in Dedham and Somerville, Massachusetts, is “to celebrate the labor of artists whose work would be displayed and appreciated in no other forum.” The centerpiece of their collection, and the first work they acquired, is Lucy in the Field with Flowers (oil on canvas, artist unknown, date unknown), shown below.

While some visitors consider our museum to be similar to MOBA, we subscribe to a completely different philosophy. We do not believe it is our role to be to make judgments about the works we display. We seek to provide information so that viewers can make their own determinations, and we try to avoid labeling works “good” or “bad.” But, in fairness, the MOBA curators probably consider “bad” to be a descriptive rather than an evaluative term.

In any case, the book is a treasure trove of unique and remarkable works. Consider, for example, Ronan the Pug by Erin Rothgeb (American), oil on canvas, MOBA 333 (shown below), in which the subject may appear to lament its own shapelessness.

To learn more about the museum visit Wikipedia or their own website. The catalogue may be purchased through Amazon or your favorite online bookstore (our store manager prefers not to be troubled).

The Museum of Bad Art. 2009 is a post from: museum of folly

Vatican Museums, Vatican City
Colors on mixed media

A delegation from the Museum of Folly recently returned from a fact-finding mission to Italy, where we were startled to discover these signs in the Vatican Museums. The signs bear an unexpected resemblance to our museum’s own stairway sign (visible in the right sidebar).

While we encourage sharing, there had been little indication prior to this point that the Vatican Museums had taken an interest in the Museum of Folly. After all, they are experts in folly in their own right (just check out their object labels, which appear to date from roughly the time of Galileo). But then we realized that, as befits a museum in which every square inch is a masterpiece and every visitor experience is torture, their stairway surfer sign is better than ours.

Our label guidelines discourage evaluative judgments but there is no getting around the fact that our stairway sign looks stiff and clumsy compared to their more fluid and expressive version. We are humbled.

We were humbled, too, on continuing our travels and finding the following helpful sign at the Marina Piccola in Sorrento on the Amalfi peninsula. How clearly it conveys the prohibition “Diving from the pier is not allowed except in motor vehicles!” In short, Italy had much to teach us, and we have resolved to upgrade our own signage to the higher standard we discovered via our grand tour.

Museum signage, 21st century is a post from: museum of folly

This photo of visitors contemplating a passageway into another suite of galleries comes from David Clow – Maryland’s photostream.

Exploring the galleries is a post from: museum of folly

Now serving is a post from: museum of folly

The museum’s educators are pleased to introduce a new family program called “Fun with History!” As a first assignment, students should listen to this report by Steven Short on PBS Radio station KALW’s CrossCurrents program.

Short’s topic is Chief Marin, for whom Marin County is named. The students should pay particular attention to this assertion:

“Marin was successful with his own people, with the conquistadors, and then with the Americans.”

The assignment: research when the conquistadors and when the “Americans” were in California, then answer these questions:

1. According to Short’s report, how old was Chief Marin when he died in 1839? Round your answer to the nearest multiple of 100 years.
   
2. And how many English-speaking Americans (as distinct from the Spanish-speaking Californios) would he have had the opportunity to “be successful with” at that time? Round your answer to the nearest vehicle size that they could all fit in (subcompact, compact, midsize, fullsize, or minivan).
   

Have fun with history!

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Shown: Crossing I (1994) by Enrique Chagoya. Acrylic and oil on paper.

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Fun with history is a post from: museum of folly

Various places of origin
Album jackets; colors on cardstock
Via the Museum of Bad Album Covers

The Museum of Folly is pleased to present a special exhibition on loan from our sister institution The Museum of Bad Album Covers. We are excited to present this small but exceptional selection from MBAC’s extensive collection.

To those who say MBAC is no different from the used record bin down at your neighborhood thrift store, Mofo responds, “Right! But you aren’t down at the thrift store, you’re surfing the internet. So.”

The MBAC collection represents a rare synthesis of inept graphic design, crass commercialism, and scarcely imaginable self-delusion. Therefore, we feel it is particularly appropriate for our first-floor special exhibition galleries.

About this selection (clockwise from upper left):

• (Upper left) Like Eilert Pilarm (center), Orion channels the spirit of Elvis. Perhaps that is why the jacket title proclaims that he is “reborn.”
• (Top center) This cover from a Murk Family album has been lent from MBAC’s “Should I Shoot the Stylist Now?” gallery.
• (Upper right) Manfred’s “Love Songs” represents MBAC’s “We Don’t Need One of Those Fancy Graphic Designers!” gallery.
• Mofo believes that Freddy Gage’s “All my friends are dead” is misplaced in MBAC’s “Only in America” gallery. This album would be out of place in any country.
• (Lower right) The cover for the Scorpions’album “Animal Magnetism”qualifies for MBAC’s “”Sexist? … So what? What’s wrong with being SEXY?” gallery.
• (Bottom center) Lars Kristerz, “Stuffparty” — what more need be said? This album is from MBAC’s “Sexy Scandinavia” gallery.
• (Lower left) Garry Dalway (left, we think) of The Handsome Beasts is featured with a close friend on an album in MBAC’s “Metal Mayhem” gallery.
• (Center left) The MBAC curators place “Viva Gongalongamax!” in their “Great British Awfulness!” category. They assert that the figure on the jacket is the legendary British performer Max Bygraves. Mofo’s curators are not entirely convinced, as we observe that the model bears a strong resemblance to Howard Junker of the San Francisco-based literary magazine ZYZZYVA. More research is needed.
• (Center) Eilert Pilarm, a Swedish Elvis impersonator, occupies a special place in MBAC’s “Season’s Greetings!” gallery.

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Album covers, late 20th century is a post from: museum of folly

What are your hours?
The Museum of Folly never closes. A unique feature of our museum is the availability of beds in several galleries as an amenity for overnight visitors.

Is there a coatroom?
Just throw your coats on one of the beds.

Is there a free entry day?
Entry is always free, although there is sometimes a modest charge to exit.

How many pieces are in the collection?
A lot!

Are you a real museum?
Yes. Are you a real person?

Is photography permitted?
Photography is encouraged. We no longer recommend the use of flash, however, as we will be happy to increase lighting in the galleries upon request.

Can I touch touch or handle objects in the collection?
Yes, depending on your height and the placement of the object.

How do objects enter your collection?
Most are brought up in a freight elevator from the loading dock at the rear of the building.

No, I mean, how do you acquire them?
Some objects are on loan from individuals or other institutions. Some are donated to the museum by private collectors. Some are purchased with funds from our endowment (we are proud to be well endowed). Some are purchased for the museum by the Edward Lear League, a quarrelsome but generous group of high-level members. Some are left on our doorstep during the night.

I’m excited to hear you are well endowed. Can I join the museum?
Yes, we love members.

Continuing in this vein, can I have my wedding at the museum?
Yes, and your honeymoon as well. (Just push the coats off to the side.)

Does the museum appraise or authenticate works of art or artifacts?
Are you kidding?

Do you offer tours for individuals or school groups?
We provide an infinite number of tours, no two of which are alike.

Is there a place to eat?
The Folly Cafe is famous for its culinary surprises.

How do I contact the museum’s Lost and Found department?
We believe we have this feature but forget where it is located (if you find it let us know). For lost items check the galleries, as objects left in the galleries often become parts of the displays.

Can you provide tips for planning a visit to the museum?
To fully benefit from the museum’s displays, we recommend that you begin anywhere and wander as you wish.

Do you have a twitter account?
We are @follymuseum.

Can I get to the museum by public transportation?
It’s all right with us.

Where can I park my car?
Most convenient is the intersection of Bouvard Avenue and Pecuchet Street.

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FAQs is a post from: museum of folly