Museum of Sex

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Tue 12 Jul 2011 22:57
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OK, so we had a spare couple of hours, free entry with the New York Pass (not sure if we would have paid the $17.50 + tax) so in we went to explore the Museum of Sex. Clearly I have had to censor the pictures included in this blog, but hope to produce something of interest and reflect our visit. The word 'museum' can be taken with a pinch of salt.
 
 
 
 
The outside window display made us think we were in for doses of modern, lewd, overt and a bit of art. Inside the first level is the shop with titillating books and toys, again as we thought.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Once in the display area; the first level was all about the history of pornography in movies (with film clips) and information plaques, Bear shuddered and moved away from some of it. On the top floor a whole area dedicated to x-rated comics as a genre (no pictures from here), the area that was a surprise was an in-depth exposé on animal behaviour, we have added what we can in the interest of taste.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

(The Mission Statement of the Museum) Our Mission and History

The Mission of the Museum of Sex is to preserve and present the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality. In its exhibitions, programs and publications, the Museum of Sex is committed to opening discourse and exchange and to bringing to the public the best in current scholarship. When the Museum of Sex first emerged on New York City’s Fifth Avenue on October 5, 2002, it was without precedent in the museum world. In the development of its inaugural award winning exhibition NYCSEX: How New York Transformed Sex in America, the Museum created a board of advisors comprised of leading scholars and historians. The Museum’s advisory board has guided curators and guest curators towards research resources, pertinent collections and exhibition relevant artists. Advisors such as Steven Heller, Timothy J. Gilfoyle, Ph.D., Mike Wallace, Ph.D., and June M. Reinisch, Director Emeritus for The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction as well as institutional collaborations with New York University’s Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, New-York Historical Society and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum have contributed to making the Museum of Sex one of the most dynamic and innovative institutions in the world. In the past seven years the Museum of Sex has generated 16 exhibitions and 5 virtual installations, each in keeping with the Museum’s mission of advocating open discourse surrounding sex and sexuality as well as striving to present to the public the best in current scholarship unhindered by self-censorship. With each new exhibition, lecture series, event and publication, the Museum of Sex is committed to addressing a wide range of topics, while simultaneously highlighting material and artifacts from different continents, cultures, time periods and media. Most recently, the Museum of Sex expanded, creating a brand-new Fifth avenue storefront, and added an additional floor and gallery to the exhibition spaces. With twice the square footage of the previous store, the new Museum of Sex store is a destination in and of itself featuring everything from one-of-a-kind signature products to those exclusively distributed through the Museum of Sex to the popular best sellers that patrons have come to know and love. With spotlights on local artists as well as high end products from around the world, the store at the Museum of Sex is at the pulse of the modern consumer world. The Museum’s permanent collection of over 15,000 artifacts is comprised of works of art, photography, clothing and costumes, technological inventions and historical ephemera. Additionally, the museum houses both a research library as well as an extensive multimedia library, which includes 8mm, Super 8mm, 16mm, BETA, VHS and DVDs. From fine art to historical ephemera to film, the Museum of Sex preserves an ever-growing collection of sexually related objects that would otherwise be destroyed and discarded due to their sexual content. Design has played a pivotal role in both exhibition development and execution, with world-renowned design firms such as Pentagram Design Inc., Casson Mann and 2×4, helping to transform the galleries and historic building over the last six years. The museum’s building, built in the area of New York formerly known as the “Tenderloin,” a district of NYC made notorious by the 19th century for its bordellos, dance halls, theaters and saloons, serves as a New York City land marked site. In a short time, the Museum has received attention from academic institutions, major publications, media outlets, and celebrities such as Howard Stern, Jay Leno and Chris Rock- positioning the Museum of Sex within the realm of academia and pop culture alike. The Museum has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Esquire and Time and on television broadcasts ranging from CNN to IFC to NBC’s Law & Order Criminal Intent. Award-winning advertising campaigns in print and television media have sealed the museum’s arrival as a cultural touchstone. 

 

 

 

It would be wrong not to put in some fun stuff

 

 

 

 

No I cannot show what I'm holding, and no guesses (but I have got the uncropped pictures on file)

 

 
Ballet Boots. And no we saw no-one in a brown mackintosh during our visit
 
 
 
 
The proof picture
 
 
 
 
After that it was time to make our way home. As we were walking to the marina from the subway station we saw a peculiar sight, this was a once only opportunity - we doubt we will ever see a stretch limo being 'fitted' on a flat bed ever again.
 
 
 
 
ALL IN ALL COULDN'T HAVE NOT GONE
                     VERY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE