Key Man Bad Art

Bad art, toilets, barbed wire and dog collars aren’t normally the types of things found in galleries and exhibition halls, but entire museums are devoted to each of them. Here are some of the strangest museums around the globe:

  • The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA): This is a community-based, private institution dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms and in all its glory. The bad art is housed in two locations in Massachusetts: the basement of Somerville Theatre and the lobby of Brookline Access Television.
    museumofbadart.org
  • International Cryptozoology Museum: Focusing on the Yeti, Bigfoot and other animals whose existence hasn’t been verified, this museum, located in Portland, Maine, includes hair samples, native art and other items allegedly from the creatures. cryptozoologymuseum.com
  • Kansas Barbed Wire Museum: Located in La Crosse, this museum displays more than 2,000 varieties of barbed wire, each unique. Displays of the tools and equipment used in fencing illustrate the inventiveness of pioneers and those with an eye for business in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. rushcounty.org/barbedwiremuseum
  • Avanos Hair Museum: More than 16,000 locks of women’s hair adorn the walls of this cave/house/pottery center in Turkey. odditycentral.com
  • Sulabh International Museum of Toilets: It boasts a collection of facts, pictures and objects detailing the historic evolution of toilets from 2500 B.C. to date. Located in New Delhi, it provides an account of developments relating to technology, toilet-related social customs, etiquette, prevailing sanitary conditions and legislative efforts of different times. sulabhtoiletmuseum.org
  • Dog Collar Museum: This museum, in Kent, England, has a collection of more than 100 collars and related exhibits. Spanning five centuries, the collection contains examples of collars from fearsome fetters for the great hunting hounds of the past, to canine couture for 21st-century pooches. leeds-castle.com
  • The Museum of Broken Relationships: It grew from a traveling exhibition to a museum of its own in Zagreb, Croatia, featuring typical artifacts such as rings and Valentine’s Day gifts, as well as unusual ones including a wooden watermelon. Visitors are urged to donate items from their own broken relationships. brokenships.com
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