Elsewhere Collaborative located in Greensboro, North Carolina is doing just this. Started as thrift store by Sylvia Gray, Elsewhere became a "living museum" in 2003. Emphasizing the transitory nature of objects and space, the Elsewhere Collaborative allows for visiting artists and residents to explore the "collection" and utilize found artifacts into their artwork.
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| Inside the space at Elsewhere Collaborative |
The living museum allows for visitors to interact with artwork, objects, and enjoy performance based installations. The collaborative also hosts neighborhood programs based in the museum; preservation groups seek to maintain the historic downtown of Greensboro and farmers' cooperatives offer local residents a food sharing program.
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| Materials for use at the collaborative |
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| More materials at the collaborative |
From the outset, the Elsewhere Collaborative may seem like a cluttered space harboring junk. But I believe that this space is more than that; its a return to the cabinet of curiosities and the original purpose of a museum space: to share information. The Elsewhere Collaborative is providing a location for people to come together for multiple purposes. Not only are people enjoying the art created out of the shared materials from the collaborative, the space is used for book talks, poetry readings, and walking tours to name a few.
Are these types of spaces sustainable?
It's a very interesting place. I think it is sustainable, because it gathers together people of the same interest. Moreover, some people are not feeling comfortable or just don't like to go to the shiny clean museums displaying ancient sculpture and paintings. They want some place where they would feel themselves cosy and comfortable.
ReplyDeleteThis place reminds me that there are some bookstores doing similar things in China: they also hold book talks, poetry reading, film screening etc.What this kind of bookstores means to me is that it is a place to stimulate people's ideas and to help exchange ideas. Now Elsewhere Collaborative is definitely challenging the traditional meaning of a museum. The place wants to be more active in not only sharing information, but generating ideas.
ReplyDeleteI like it a lot!
When reading the beginning of your post, I was initially quite skeptical about the Elsewhere Collaborative (EC). After exploring their website a bit, I do think that what they're doing is really interesting and unique. I also agree with your statement that the organization is returning to the most traditional sense of a museum: a cabinet of curiosities. They are really bringing the community in a way that no other organization is, and the results are like none other!
ReplyDeleteEven with all of these great things though, I'm not sure whether it can really be considered a museum and if it can be sustainable as such. I think that it can for sure be sustainable as a artist cooperative, a community center, or a collaborative public space. However, I don't think it particularly differentiates itself between those types of organizations and a museum. The mission statement is a bit vague, and it seems like the EC doesn't really have a clear sense of specific goals and intentions. Maybe that's just the overarching language used on the website, but it seems like if the EC wants to be sustainable specifically as a museum and not a community space, they need a more directed mission that reflects in their actions.