The Pop-Up Museum
From 2012 to 2017 the MAH led, facilitated, and inspired a series of temporary exhibits that "popped up" in unexpected locations with unorthodox community curation. Learn more and check out past pop-ups across the world.
The Pop-Up Museum is a temporary exhibit created by the people who show up to participate. It works by choosing a theme and venue and then inviting people to bring an object on-topic to share. Participants write a label for their object and leave it on display. A Pop Up Museum usually lasts a few hours on one day. Popping up in unorthodox arts spaces, like libraries or laundromats, Pop Up Museums focus on bringing people together in conversation through stories, art, and objects. They can happen anytime, anywhere, and with any community.
Want to host your own Pop Up Museum? Check out our Pop Up Museum Organizer’s kit, which offers tips and step-by-step advice on hosting Pop Up Museums.
The Pop-Up Museum ran from 2012 to 2017, see all our past pop-ups below!
What was it about?
We held this Pop Up Museum as a way to form a community amongst people who make and appreciate homemade crafts. The stories sewn inside a handmade sweater can be just as valuable as the threads that weave the garment together, so in addition to exhibiting objects, we also wanted to provide a social space for sharing stories and craft techniques.
Our goal was for people to share their stories, show off their homemade objects, learn from one another, and HAVE FUN!
This colorful Pop Up Museum on "homemade" celebrated creativity and craft. Held at sewing collective The Fabrica and bike collective The Bike Church, objects ranged from quilts to sock monkeys to a Shilelagh (an old Irish weapon). View more photos on Facebook.
How did it go?
This Pop Up was a huge success! The youngest participant was 4 yrs old and the eldest 91 yrs old! That's quite a range. People brought homemade ornaments, stuffed animals, Irish weapons, purses, clothes, quilts...it was truly inspiring. A few visitors mentioned they had been wanting to check out the Fabrica and the Bike Church and that this Pop Up Museum encouraged them to do so. In order to illustrate the mood, here are a few quotes from the Pop Up Museum's participants:
"I enjoyed seeing all the different things that people can do by themselves."
"I just like to see anything anybody made because you seem to understand a person when you see how they envision things."
"I just love that this [pop-up museum] is very inclusive. You can touch everything. And I love that you write [the labels] cause sometimes you look at art and you're like, "What was the person thinking? And they say what it is and you're like Huh." Everyone's descriptions in their own words are very accessible.
"I loved meeting the people who made the project and having them explain how they came across or
made it themselves."
Where
The Fabrica and the Bike Church, 703 Pacific Avenue Santa Cruz, CA 95060
How many people exhibited objects?
20
How many people came but did not bring objects?
roughly 15-20 people
Organizers
What was it about?
We all fight, and we all fight over things.
Conflict is an unavoidable vein of humanity, so the MAH collaborated with the Resource Center for Non-Violence to host a Pop Up Museum on "Objects of Conflict.” The pop-up explored the different things people fight over, and the stories behind why people fight.
We collaborated with the Resource Center for Non-Violence invited people to bring objects that symbolized or literally caused conflict in their life, as a way to deal with past conflicts in a creative way. By creating an exhibit around the objects that cause personal or global conflict, we hoped to create a conversational space for people to share various perspectives on “violence” and “conflict.”
How did it go?
Despite the fact that this Pop Up took place during a First Friday at the Museum (a busy night where the museum is free and open late) the Pop Up Museum remained relatively small. But people brought objects from the intimate to the extraordinary: one man who desperately wants a beard but can’t seem to grow one brought a razor. Another man brought a bottle of water and talked about water conservation and desalination. One woman brought a swastika army patch, and spoke of the powerful, emotive forces of symbols. Other objects included a redwood tree branch, a digital camera, a cell phone, a fence post, an air raid helmet, cake, a Day Worker Center pin, a reflective slap bracelet, and a thanksgiving greeting card.
It was interesting to see the different ways in which participants interpreted the word "conflict" and how they chose to represent their idea of conflict through common objects.
Where
The MAH
How many people exhibited objects?
12
How many people came but did not bring objects?
Roughly 100-150 (this number is a result of the First Friday Art Tour crowd)
Organizers
What was it about?
This Pop Up Museum explored the theme of Taking Risks. We invited people to bring an object symbolizing a personal, professional, or physical risk taken in their life. We wanted people to have fun sharing their risky stories with one another, and to gain new perspectives on the ways in which taking a risk–big or small– can change one’s life. View more images on Pinterest.
How did it go?
Usually, Pop Up Museums are totally public. Its inclusiveness is part of its radical charms free and open to all. But this time we collaborated with NextSpace, a coworking community that provides a professional atmosphere and networking opportunities upon membership, to throw a Pop Up Museum during their weekly happy hour. The Pop Up Museum was open to NextSpace members only, allowing the museum to be a fun twist on their private social event.
Within a few minutes of setting up, members began filling the frames with risk-taking tokens and writing stories on blank labels. Not everyone who showed up to the happy hour knew to bring something to share, but that didn't stop them from participating. Inspired by the theme and other exhibitors, people pulled objects from around the room and placed them in frames, coming up with stories on the fly. An impromptu pop-up pursued.
This spontaneous thinking demonstrates how the Pop Up Museum encourages people to rethink the stuff and space around them. The common workspace became a playful gallery. After doing this personalized pop-up, we realized the Pop-Up Museum is a great format for groups who want to add a dash of structure or creativity to any social event. One man mentioned he was inspired to have a Pop-Up Museum at his next dinner party.
Where
NextSpace, 101 Cooper St Santa Cruz, CA 95060
How many people exhibited objects?
12
How many people came but did not bring objects?
roughly 15 people
Organizers
What was it about?
We decided to have a Pop Up Museum for International Museum Day. We made our theme revolve around Vacation since school would be over soon. Summer was just around the corner and students are usually very excited to start their summer activities. We asked people via posters, emails, media, and Facebook to bring items that reflected a story about a vacation. The outcome was marvelous!
How did it go?
It went very well. We would have been happy with whatever outcome, but we had a total of 20 participants. The items varied and we got to know about everything from special stones to a living person from Finland!
Where
At The University of Iceland inside the cafeteria
How many people exhibited objects?
Many people came without an object but told us a story about a vacation-related item. One lady talked about the shoes she was wearing. There were many contributions, deliberate and spontaneous..
How many people came but did not bring objects?
roughly 20
Organizers
The Pop Up Museum was organized by Edda Bjrnsdttir, Karina Hanney Marrero, and Salveig Hulda Benjamin. Students in Visual Anthropology had their own event at the same time, so we collaborated with them as well. Their take on our theme was to present videos that were made in relation to a course they participated in. To them, making a video was the perfect vacation from everyday mundane studies.
What was it about?
Inspired by the Museum of Broken Relationships, we wanted to throw a Pop Up that got at the raw, emotional pain of heartbreak. Oftentimes we don’t know what to do with ourselves, let alone the objects that are left behind. This Pop-Up, entitled “F my Ex”, explored the various ways in which we cope with failed relationships. We invited participants to bring objects that reminded them of their ex, encouraging them to confront and reclaim the physical leftovers of their past by sharing them with others. View more images on Pinterest.
How did it go?
The Pop Up was a huge success! The Red, a bar popular amongst college students and young adults, quickly became a space for members of the community to share relationship stories. Some people didn't bring something to display but still shared a story on a label, so the display areas soon became filled with narratives both accompanied and unaccompanied by objects. Some people outlined tales of betrayal; others joked about the ridiculousness of their breakup. Rather than being depressing, the atmosphere was empowering and social. As the Museum of Broken Relationships put it,
"Our societies oblige us with our marriages, funerals, and even graduation farewells, but deny us any formal recognition of the demise of a relationship, despite its strong emotional effect."
In more ways than one, this exhibition represented the emotional baggage that is left in the wake of a failed relationship. Verified by the number of personal items left behind by their owners, 'F my Ex' presented an opportunity to move forward.
Where
The Red Room, 200 Locust Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
How many people exhibited objects?
20
How many people came but did not bring objects?
roughly 40
Organizers
What was it about?
We had this Pop Up Museum to celebrate the women who’ve made history in the world and in our personal lives. The event took place during Women's History Month and on International Women's Day.
How did it go?
It was a charming evening. Though the pop-up museum started off slow (with only 5 or 6 people bringing something to share) it picked up as the night continued. This pop-up ran in conjunction with an international traveling women's film festival, LUNAFEST, and a historical bake sale with sweets inspired by famous women in Santa Cruz History. The bake sale was a fabulous compliment to the pop-up museum, as both shared stories about women in creative ways. Because most of the people who came to the pop-up were also attending the film festival, the museum really popped before and after the film.
Where
The MAH
How many people exhibited objects?
12
How many people came but did not bring objects?
roughly 30-40 people
Organizers
What was it about?
Pop Up Museums can serve different functions, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive. They can be a platform for public conversation, a community storytelling space, a creative meet-up for an intact group, and an ephemeral exhibit for artists. We had a Pop Up Museum on Altered Books last weekend at the Friend's of Santa Cruz Public Library's biannual book sale, providing a temporary display space for artists to display altered books. This pop-up was done in collaboration with the Santa Cruz Public Libraries. View pictures from the event on MAH's Facebook album.
How did it go?
Placed amidst overflowing rows of for-sale library books, the Pop Up Museum prompted people to think about books in different ways. The library also offered an altered books workshop where people could fold old books, giving anyone the opportunity to have something to display. View the altered books here. People enjoyed sharing their altered books, but displaying artwork at the pop-up museum can be tricky. For one, pop-ups are hands-on museums. We don't put things behind glass. We don't have guards. This type of exhibit can lend itself to more intimate interactions, but it can also subject the art to potential damage.
Where
Santa Cruz Public Library, Downtown
How many people exhibited objects?
9
How many people came but did not bring objects?
84
Organizers
- Santa Cruz Public Library
- The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
