For visitors looking for something interesting to do in New York, this is it. “This” being a tiny museum that is in a freight elevator. Since many people think of museums as large and spacious places with huge exhibits, this one shows that museums can be the complete opposite of what people think.
Where To Find The NYC Freight Elevator Museum: Mmuseumm
The museum is located in Manhattan, New York. This 36 square foot museum is a freight elevator that used to open up onto the street. The museum itself is 6 feet wide, 6 feet deep, and 6 feet and 3 inches tall. The smallness of the elevator is said to help bring people back to the traditional feeling of a museum.
There are two elevator museums in New York, so visitors must be careful about which one they are trying to go to. The Long Island City Elevator Historical Society is a museum about elevators, while the Mmuseumm is a museum in an elevator. Both museums are worth going to, but one will tell visitors about elevators and one will tell them how the world functions.
What Can Visitors Find At Mmuseumm?
The museum is a collection of artifacts from around the world that are used to describe things that go on in the world through these small pieces. The curator, Mr. Kalman, puts the objects into different collections, releasing a new collection every year. The museum changes the collections every year, but a few of the current displays include:
- Losing time
- The Final Straw
- Everything Is Relative: The Value of a Dollar
- Human Exchanges
- Objects Made By Prisoners in the US
While some of these collections have been used in different years, there is always a new one that is released. These collections have a wide range of items and meanings behind them, from simple things like used tissues to deep philosophical discussions, such as the concept of nothing. But no matter what is on display, these collections are always worth seeing and learning from.
Time And Cost Of Visiting The Museum
There are only three people allowed in the museum at a time, so make sure to plan on waiting for entrance to the museum. It is a popular museum because it has everyday items on display and tells stories of people around the world.
- Time: Open Saturdays and Sundays
- Cost: Free
While the museum does not have an entrance fee, there are suggested donation amounts and a small cafe nearby that the museum also runs. The museum runs on donors and donations from those that visit, so visitors should consider either donating or buying a coffee from the cafe to help the museum.
The History Behind The Creation Of Mmuseumm
The museum was created with the intent to show people a different type of storytelling known as Object Journalism. This is a very new type of museum that is dedicated to exploring current events and modern humanity through a variety of objects collected from around the world.
Mr. Kalman, the curator of the museum, said that he grew up going to museums and said that he wanted to make a museum that had a very traditional feeling to it. The museum opened in 2012 after a lease was struck for the freight elevator space. Since then, the museum has expanded to have a gift shop and a coffee shop nearby for visitors to help the museum grow.
Previous Displays At Mmuseumm
Since the museum has been open for a decade now, there have been many displays that have been through it. These displays have a wide range of things that were displayed and even some wacky items. Some of these displays include:
- Personal Possessions Found in the Pacific
- Homemade Weapons of Defense
- Children Lead the Way
- Fake American Fast Food Franchises of Iran
- Nothing is Perfect
When the displays are done, they do not get thrown away. While some of the pieces might go back to the original owners, the majority of them will be put into storage to be brought out in later years. This is necessary because what was relevant one year may still be relevant another year. Some of these displays have even been in larger museums, including the Met.
Unique Mmuseumm Items That Have Been Displayed In The Past
There are hundreds of items that have been displayed in the museum's many collections. Visitors never know what to expect when a new collection is released. Some are philosophical, some are wacky, and in one display, there was nothing. Some of these previous items include:
- Shoes
- Toilet plunger
- Fake rocks
- Text messages
- Coffee lids
While visitors never know what to expect walking into museums, since there is always plenty to look at and learn, this museum has especially unique items. When visitors go to the museum, they should be sure to keep both their eyes and their mind open to the possibility of learning something new from strange objects.
Even with the museum being in such a small space, there is a lot to learn and see in it. Visitors can lose themselves in the pieces on display and the stories that are behind them. There are plans to expand the museum into another storefront nearby, making the storefront seem like another wing. This is a must see for anyone who is visiting New York!