loading image
“(As a boy) I had free access to television, which of course goes hand in hand with pop culture. TV has been my biggest influence; it started about the year I was born, and I’m a perfect example of what it can do to you—for better or for worse.” —Mickey McGowan, 1993 The Unknown Museum has prominently featured the television. Mickey McGowan utilized hollowed-out sets as enclosures for many of his dioramas. He assembled stacks of televisions in various outdoor yard installations. At times, McGowan adjusted the signal of a working television placed in an indoor exhibit so all that appeared on the screen was a solitary horizontal line. He mixed jingles from early TV commercials onto audio tapes that played music and excerpts from movies, sitcoms, serials, and newscasts from the era. Audio volume rose and fell in a constant soundtrack; the “Perfect Moment” occurred when a direct connection was made—for example, if the Rice Krispies jingle randomly played while a visitor was looking at the ad characters Snap, Crackle, and Pop in the kitchen area of the museum. A very special thank you to Mickey McGowan for making this exhibition possible. See “Recollections… from the Unknown Museum” on display, post-security, in Terminal 2. https://bit.ly/Unknown-Museum 📸: Rabbit Ears 1986 Mickey McGowan (b. 1946) television antenna, plush and plastic toy L2023.0301.002a-b Television antennas 1950s–60s various makers L2023.0301.003.01–.13 Upside-Down TV 1978 Mickey McGowan (b. 1946) Mill Valley, California R2023.0301.001.039
This image was posted on July 31, 2024.
Similar Instagram posts
“In keeping with physical fitness trends, I was always hoping that visitors, by viewing some forgotten object, might be exercising that area of the brain which holds onto the memory cells.”—Mickey McGowan, December 2022 The Unknown Museum, curated by Mickey McGowan, was conceived as part conceptual art, part hands-on experience.
This image was posted on June 21, 2024.
#unknownmuseum #mickeymcgowan #bayarea #bayareahistory
June Schwarcz made unconventional enameled art, pioneering an art form called electroforming, an innovative method that involved electroplating pieces made from thin copper foil.
This image was posted on March 08, 2024.
#unconventionalenamels #juneschwarcz #5womenartists #womenshistorymonth #internationalwomensday
Cleveland Chenier, the older brother of the "King of Zydeco" Clifton Chenier, played the rubboard in Clifton's zydeco band.
This image was posted on January 03, 2019.
#storyofarhoolie #arhoolie #arhoolierecords #chrisstrachwitz #cliftonchenier #clevelandchenier #rubboard #zydeco #music
Cleveland Chenier, the older brother of the "King of Zydeco" Clifton Chenier, played the rubboard in Clifton's zydeco band.
This image was posted on January 03, 2019.
#storyofarhoolie #arhoolie #arhoolierecords #chrisstrachwitz #cliftonchenier #clevelandchenier #rubboard #zydeco #music
Even after a year of staying home, it's hard to imagine life without shampoo, which emerged in the early twentieth century.
This image was posted on June 04, 2021.
#hairstyle #hair #beauty #shampoo #hairspray
Personal photography provides snapshot glimpses of our daily lives.
This image was posted on October 25, 2023.
#unknownmuseum
By the turn of the twentieth century, a number of hair products became available to women.
This image was posted on January 14, 2021.
#hairstyle #hair #beauty #museumfromhome