Preservation of our shared history is the foundation of museums across the globe, though the definition of “shared history” can be skewed. Certain topics of life are either glossed over or left out completely in the big-name history museums. Sure, they have much to cover and only so much floorspace, but the lack of important societal shifts are often overlooked, like the 70s New York punk-sex scene as an entire cultural phenomena.
Not at these museums. The museums on this list are foundational spaces in their communities. They are a triumph of sex positivity and awareness. They are a celebration of the raw power of sex. These museums recognize sex as a driving force. This is the shared history I’m interested in, the one of truth and grit and anger and passion. Sex is a revolution and these museums are its origin.
MUSEUM OF SEX // NEW YORK, NY
The Museum of Sex, erected in 2002, contains a permanent collection of over 20,000 artifacts comprised of works of art, photography, clothing and costumes, technological inventions, and historical ephemera. Their mission is to “preserve and present the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality.” Through exhibitions, publications, and programs, the museum strives to bring current scholarship to the widest possible audiences. On the premises is also an extensive multimedia library.
The museum usually has four exhibits happening at all times. Currently, two of their exhibits relate particularly to the Sexual Health Alliance: “Porno Chic to Sex Positivity: Erotic Content & the Mainstream, 1960 Till Today” in which it explores pornography’s permeation into mainstream media. The other exhibit, “Bad: Betty A. Dodson & The Liberation of Masturbation, A Tribute” is the first museum exhibit dedicated to the revolutionary sex educator and feminist icon, Betty Dodson.
EROTIC HERITAGE MUSUEM // LAS VEGAS, NV
The Harry Mohney Erotic Museum, also known as the Erotic Heritage Museum came from an unlikely partnership. Reverend Ted McIllvenna and pornographer Harry Mohney, while from opposite sides of the cultural spectrum, worked together to build a sex-positive exhibition space. With over 24,00 square feet, the EHM is the largest museum in the world for the preservation of erotic artifacts, fine art, film, education, and cultural events.
The EHM’s ethos is that “each of us, every human being, has a story to tell. This Museum is the story of *us,* at our most intimate, throughout history. Our Museum is more than just a place to preserve--within our walls, you’ll immerse yourself in the hallowed grounds of our Erotic Heritage.
A current exhibit is the traveling carnivalesque show called Puppetry of the Penis. POP is a “mind-blowing show featuring two strapping Australian men who manipulate their genitalia into various shapes, objects, and landmarks. With worrying ease and an unbelievable stretch factor, the Puppeteers demonstrate installations such as The Eiffel Tower, The Windsurfer, and even edible delights like their signature dish, The Hamburger.” It certainly seems like a must-see.
LEATHER ARCHIVES AND MUSEUM // CHICAGO, IL
The Leather Archives and Museum was founded in 1991 by Chuck Renslow and Tony DeBlase as a community library, archive, and museum of Leather, kink, fetish, and BDSM history and culture. Their mission statement is “Making leather, kink, BDSM, and fetish accessible through research, preservation, education, and community engagement.”
Their current exhibit is about Dom “Etienne” Orejudos, the artist. Domingo Orejudos is known for artwork depicting the male body in all of its leather-straining heroic proportions. Orejudos’ artwork creates fantasies of domination and submission and is available online here.
WORLD EROTIC ART MUSEUM // MIAMI BEACH, FL
In 1983, Naomi Wilzig began collecting (and creating) erotic art for herself. In the early 00s, Wilzig had accumulated more than 4,000 pieces from around the world. This personal collection became the base of the World Erotic Art Museum (WEAM). WEAM opened in 2005 and includes important sexual texts like “Kama Sutra temple carvings from India, peek-a-boo Victorian figurines that flash their booties, and a prop from the sexual thriller ‘A Clockwork Orange’.”
WEAM’s most recent exhibition was “The Eroticism of Things: Collections on the History of Sexuality.” The exhibit builds upon Wilzig’s already impressive collection and the collections of sexologists Magnus Hirschfeld and Alfred C. Kinsey.
by Shelby Lueders