The Vagina Museum, which claims to be the “world’s first bricks and mortar museum dedicated to the gynaecological anatomy,” is in danger of closing down — but don’t fret just yet, as you can help keep it in business.
The official Twitter of the museum shared that they were asked to leave Bethnal Green in London by the end of the week, explaining “As a property guardianship, we’ve always been aware that we may be asked to leave with very short notice.”
The museum also said it was “going to continue to operate in the digital world as we search for a new home.” The museum’s last day in the space will be Wednesday, Feb. 1, which is also the last day it will be open to the public.
“We’d like to invite as many people as possible to visit us while we’re still here,” the museum said. Can’t make it to London in the next two days? Fear not, you can still help. There’s also a sale:
The museum’s Twitter said they were “sad about this development” but also “proud of what we accomplished …. We’ve welcomed more than 40,000 visitors through our doors, and received so much love and positive .”
Right now they’re looking for a new home “and if you know of any vacant spaces (or have one yourself!) please don’t hesitate to reach out.” Don’t have a building? There are still ways to help. You can donate, and an amount “of any size makes a huge difference and will help us weather the storm, just as we’ve weathered the storms before.”
So why a vagina museum? “There was a penis museum in Iceland. Which is pretty cool. But there was no vagina equivalent anywhere in the world. We were pretty miffed (muffed?) when we learnt this but we thought, there’s only one way to rectify this. Make one.”
The museum was launched in 2017, and started with pop-ups throughout England.
“We did pop ups in all kinds of places from Green Man Festival to the Royal Institution to the Feminist Library to the Freud Museum. We opened our first premises in Camden Market in 2019, our second in Bethnal Green in 2022, with a view to start work on our permanent premises within the next few years.”
Exhibits in the museum include “Periods: A Brief History” with the intention of removing the stigma from “something still shrouded in shame and stigma to this day.”
Published: Jan 30, 2023 05:27 pm