Tuesday, June 23, 2015

What Would You Bring to a Museum?


My friend and colleague Fabiana Chiu posted this on her Facebook page last week and I was so intrigued by the idea I asked to share it more widely.
Museums are filled with meanings. Those meanings are offered by us, the people who go to and work in/with museums. What if instead of paying an entrance fee, we each brought an object of ours as payment in lieu? Something that we think is related to/reminds us of the exhibit we are there to see? A point of connection, a conversation starter, an offering to appease the soul. For instance, What would you bring to the Frida Kahlo show at the NY Botanical Garden? What would you bring to her if you were to meet her in person? I would bring her one of my plants.
And in a PS, she explained the image at the top of this post:
PS, the succulent pictured here was purchased and raised by me when I was in my teens. When I left Peru for good, my dear aunt Blanca adopted it. Here it is, 30 years later, alive and well, strong like us.
What exhibit or museum would you bring an offering to?  And what would you bring?

2 comments:

BJ Larson said...

I love this idea, and I love legacy plants. I have a cactus that belonged to my sister, who passed away more than 20 years ago! As a matter of fact, I have three of them and all are going strong... bringing it to Frida Kahlo is a wonderful idea....

Anonymous said...

I have a money/jade plant and despite my lack of ability with growing plants off shoots of it are still going strong, largely due to thehelp of my husband! I'm REALLY pleased as its an off shoot of a plant my grandmother had at least 35yrs ago & it always makes me think of her