When I was ten years old, my parents and I visited Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, “The Mushroom Capital of the World,” and happened to stop in to the now-defunct Mushroom Museum. We wandered around the darkened exhibits (mushrooms don’t like light, after all) and watched a very confusing video that showed a woman in 1970s dress blithely preparing mushrooms while a voice-over explained that she was doing it all wrong. (I think I also remember seeing mushrooms carved and decorated to resemble little animals, but I can’t independently verify this) In any case, the visit sparked my lifelong love of quirky museums and unique collections.
Since then, some of the most unusual museums I’ve visited include the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, where I marveled at the tiny slippers used in Chinese foot-binding and the sky-high sparkly platform oxfords that Elton John wore onstage.
When I studied abroad in France during college, I stopped into the Honoré de Balzac Museum (Maison de Balzac) in the Parisian home of the late author. The staff there seemed genuinely surprised to see a visitor turn up, and I was able to wander alone among paintings of Balzac’s relatives, printing plates used to illustrate his novels, and artifacts including the monogrammed coffee pot from which Balzac drank an alleged 50 cups of coffee per day.
Since the museum is currently closed due to COVID0-19, online visitors can now enjoy a virtual tour.
I’ve never been to Japan, but after reading Johnny Waldman’s article on This is Colossal describing a very special and distinctive museum there, I’ve added it to my must-visit list. It’s a 1,700 piece collection of jinmenseki – rocks with human faces. (All of the following photos come from Waldman’s article)
Chinsekikan (Hall of Mysterious Rocks) is located in Chichibu, Japan, northwest of Tokyo. The late Shozo Hamaya spent 50 years collecting rocks that look as though they have human faces, his only criteria being that they be unaltered from their natural state. Today, Mr. Hamaya’s wife Yoshiko serves as the head curator.
Apart from its unique subject, the collection also offers some surprises. For instance, who knew Mother Nature was an Elvis fan?
This one, reminiscent of Easter Island Moai, is one of my favorites, as well.
I can’t wait for the chance to visit.
Granted, not all of these places are strictly “art museums,” but they illustrate the significance that a special collection can have, both for the collector and the viewer. The same can apply to the art and collectibles we bring into our homes – not only do they say something about us, but, considered together, they have the potential to tell a story of their own.