The Ray-O-Vac gnome(?) in the display of batteries, light bulbs, and vacuum tubes made me look up whether that company ever made vacuum tubes. Turns out they didn’t, but the Ray-O-Vac name was meant to associate the company with electron ray vacuum tubes, so I guess it worked!
VERY thankful I didn’t know about places like this when I was a kid. I could have easily been a cross between this museum and that monstrosity in Wisconsin.
Oh for effs sake. I was in CDMX this past October and this was on my to do list but ran out of time. I'll need to recall it when I get back there again.
On a recent trip, I overindulged on museums, which left me questioning our relationship with stuff.
On one hand, there has been a strong narrative of shaming on collecting, consumerism, and storage units. Then I see posts such as this one (which in itself reads like a museum visit), and it is a study of design, typography, history, and so much more. It's simply fascinating and full of nostalgia and inspiration.
This reminded of a place where a company I worked for had their holiday party, a place in San Jose that not only has event space but also includes the owner's collections of racecars (that you can rent) and displays of collections like locks, model planes, oil cans, suits of armor, old tools, doorknobs, and all sorts of other stuff. A great place to have a work party!
I used to work a five-minute drive from this place and got to see if for a work event one time. As a car geek, I was absolutely nerding out. Unsuccessfuly tried to get my now-wife to have our reception here lol.
A couple of other museums that fit the bill here in SJ are the Museum of Quilts and Textiles (https://sj-mqt.org) and (though it's more a collection of Latino visual art than a collection of everyday objects) MACLA (https://maclaarte.org/programs/visual-arts/)
It was perfect for a work event - dance and bar area for those who wanted that, quiet places where people could have conversations, all that stuff to look at if you didn't know many people. I can't believe your wife turned it down.
Paul? That's it? "Looks like an amazing place!" ? I thought this would be a veritable fever dream for you, and we'd get a lot more than five words. What gives?
I handed the baton to Scott for this post and wanted his commentary to stand on its own. Also, I haven't actually been to this place yet. If I see it in person (check that, *when* I see it in person!), I'll feel better qualified to offer my own take. But yes, it's right up my alley -- that's why I asked Scott to write about it for us!
Loved the visual insight to this museum of disparate, diverse, delights. Goes to show that if done correctly, any group of objects are worthy of being museumized. Fondly, Michael
The Ray-O-Vac gnome(?) in the display of batteries, light bulbs, and vacuum tubes made me look up whether that company ever made vacuum tubes. Turns out they didn’t, but the Ray-O-Vac name was meant to associate the company with electron ray vacuum tubes, so I guess it worked!
VERY thankful I didn’t know about places like this when I was a kid. I could have easily been a cross between this museum and that monstrosity in Wisconsin.
💙🇲🇽💜
Oh for effs sake. I was in CDMX this past October and this was on my to do list but ran out of time. I'll need to recall it when I get back there again.
Nice, but the teeth display freaked me out a little.
On a recent trip, I overindulged on museums, which left me questioning our relationship with stuff.
On one hand, there has been a strong narrative of shaming on collecting, consumerism, and storage units. Then I see posts such as this one (which in itself reads like a museum visit), and it is a study of design, typography, history, and so much more. It's simply fascinating and full of nostalgia and inspiration.
Paul, Scott, thank you for sharing.
This is fantastic! Thank you Scott!
This reminded of a place where a company I worked for had their holiday party, a place in San Jose that not only has event space but also includes the owner's collections of racecars (that you can rent) and displays of collections like locks, model planes, oil cans, suits of armor, old tools, doorknobs, and all sorts of other stuff. A great place to have a work party!
Club Auto Sport - their site shows some of the collections. https://clubautosport.net/
I used to work a five-minute drive from this place and got to see if for a work event one time. As a car geek, I was absolutely nerding out. Unsuccessfuly tried to get my now-wife to have our reception here lol.
A couple of other museums that fit the bill here in SJ are the Museum of Quilts and Textiles (https://sj-mqt.org) and (though it's more a collection of Latino visual art than a collection of everyday objects) MACLA (https://maclaarte.org/programs/visual-arts/)
It was perfect for a work event - dance and bar area for those who wanted that, quiet places where people could have conversations, all that stuff to look at if you didn't know many people. I can't believe your wife turned it down.
Great stuff! Thanks Scott!
Paul? That's it? "Looks like an amazing place!" ? I thought this would be a veritable fever dream for you, and we'd get a lot more than five words. What gives?
I handed the baton to Scott for this post and wanted his commentary to stand on its own. Also, I haven't actually been to this place yet. If I see it in person (check that, *when* I see it in person!), I'll feel better qualified to offer my own take. But yes, it's right up my alley -- that's why I asked Scott to write about it for us!
Always the gentleman.
OH MY WORD! Looks like a slice of heaven to me! Thanks Scott!
Loved the visual insight to this museum of disparate, diverse, delights. Goes to show that if done correctly, any group of objects are worthy of being museumized. Fondly, Michael
I'd love to visit that museum. The graphics on many of those objects are absolutely fascinating. Thanks for sharing that great set of photos.