NYC: MoMA Adds Gilbert Baker's Rainbow Flag To Their Permanent Collection

Rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker tips us that the MoMA has added one of his flags to their permanent collection. From their letter to him:

On behalf of the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, I am excited to formally announce that your work, the Rainbow Flag, has been acquired into the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, following our committee meeting yesterday afternoon. I am so delighted we will be able to share your work with MoMA audiences now and in the future, and I am grateful to you for all your help during the acquisitions process. We are thrilled to represent your work in MoMA's collection.

Congratulations, Gilbert!

Gun Used In 2012 Shooting At FRC Office Goes On Display At Crime Museum

The gun used in the 2012 shooting at the Family Research Council's headquarters has gone on display at Washington DC's Crime Museum. Via World Net Daily:

The yellowed “eyes” of the Volkswagen Beetle that serial killer Ted Bundy used to kidnap his victims still watch over a grisly display of crime artifacts: Unabomber letters. The noose from a Ku Klux Klan lynching. Rubble from 9/11. And now, the gun used by homosexual activist Floyd Lee Corkins in his attack on the Family Research Council has joined the collection of the Crime Museum in Washington, D.C., as part of the exhibit “Domestic Terrorism and Hate Crimes,” which opened to the public on March 18.

Corkins admitted he picked FRC, which promotes traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs about family and sexuality, because the organization was listed as an “anti-gay” hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center on its website. Retired Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin, FRC executive vice president and a member of the board of WND.com, told WND the exhibit’s inclusion of the FRC attack makes sense in a domestic terror and hate crime display.

Boykin told WND he wants the U.S. government and its agencies to stop working with SPLC and citing its work, but said his group has never appealed to the SPLC to take them off its hate map because they don’t think it is legitimate. The general called the map capricious and noted it has no definition of a hate group: “More importantly, we think what they’re doing is absolutely reckless, particularly given they put us in the same category as groups like the Klu Klux Klan and the skinheads.” Pressure has to be put on the SPLC to stop this, because, Boykin said, “It is reckless behavior that has, at least in this case, incited someone to want to kill people who don’t believe what they believe and stand for.”

Also on display in the exhibit is a copy of the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Hate Crimes Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in 2009, Judy Shepard's book about her son, and the #98 Brooklyn Nets jersey worn by Jason Collins in Shepard's memory. Those items, of course, are not mentioned in the above-linked World Net Daily article.

TRAILER: Bjork's Black Lake

Via Pitchfork:

On March 7, New York City's Museum of Modern Art will open the Björk retrospective Björk, an exhibit that will "chronicle her career through sound, film, visuals, instruments, objects, costumes, and performance." Today, the artist shared a teaser of the video and sound installation "Black Lake", which will be a part of the exhibition. Watch the teaser below. "Black Lake" is also the name of a song on her newest album, Vulnicura.

More from the MOMA:

The Museum of Modern Art presents a retrospective of the multifaceted work of composer, musician, and singer Björk. The exhibition draws from more than 20 years of the artist’s daring and innovative projects and her eight full-length albums to chronicle her career through sound, film, visuals, instruments, objects, and costumes. In the Museum lobby, instruments used on Biophilia (2011)—a gameleste, pipe organ, gravity harp, and Tesla coil—play songs from the album at different points throughout the day. On the second floor, in the Marron Atrium, two spaces have been constructed: one is dedicated to a new sound and video installation, commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art, for “Black Lake,” a song from Björk’s new album Vulnicura (2015); and the second is a cinema room that screens a retrospective in music videos, from Debut (1993) to Biophilia. 

Entrance to the Bjork exhibits are included with regular MOMA admission although timed tickets are required for an interactive exhibit on the third floor.

NYC Museums Ban Selfie Sticks

Via the New York Observer:

The MoMA is one of the first in NYC to officially ban the stick, although it’s technically always been restricted. A representative from the museum stated, “It has long been a policy that visitors may only use handheld devices to take photos, without any camera extension devices. We have simply added selfie-sticks to this policy, which is in place to ensure the safety of our visitors and the Museum’s works of art.” Other museums have either already banned the sticks or are seriously considering it. Gothamist reported that the Guggenheim and The Frick no longer allow them, and that the Met hasn’t yet reached a decision.

The official reason for the ban is the possibility of damage to artwork.

TRAILER: David Bowie Is

Via the Village Voice:

It’s the kind of forward-thinking experience David Bowie himself might have predicted. Just for one day, on silver screens across the country, a movie about a museum exhibition — featuring the rocker’s groundbreaking albums, outlandish costumes, and clips from his artistic videos — will briefly tantalize the world — and be gone. All in the form of the documentary David Bowie Is, directed by Hamish Hamilton. And the film is, above all, a reminder of Bowie’s artistry, his creativity, his fearlessness. If you’ve forgotten why you loved Ziggy or that eerie experimenter bunking in Berlin, this thrilling bit of cinema will surely lure you back. “I wasn’t the biggest Bowie fan in the world,” says Hamilton, a refreshingly straightforward director best known for TV work like The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. “I was drawn to the project because of the music. And the strangeness of the request. Since the filming was of a live event” — last summer’s exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London — “they were looking for somebody who could do live. That’s me. I was sort of a conduit between David’s creativity and the genuine passion, knowledge, and care of the curators.

Ex-Gays: Put US In The Smithsonian

According to a report on the right-wing CNS News, the "ex-gay" crackpots at PFOX are screaming for inclusion in the Smithsonian's LGBT history exhibit. The exhibit's curator is not only open to that, he plans on including materials from numerous anti-gay groups.

[Smithsonian Archives Specialist Franklin] Robinson told CNSNews.com that he would also be willing to collect items from pro-traditional family groups such as the National Organization for Marriage, the Family Research Council, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Marriage: Unique for a Reason Initiative, Concerned Women for America, and the American Family Association.  He said he also plans to collect material from the conservative Values Voter Summit which will be held later this month in Washington. “I am totally open to anybody that’s willing to kind of chat with me or mail me pamphlets because that fleshes this out and it makes it that much more valuable to researchers,” he said. PFOX said that it would be more than willing to provide additional documents to the Smithsonian. “We also have a D.C. Superior Court case four years ago where we won rights of the ex-gays to be included in the D.C. Human Rights Act and we could give them that case as well,” Salvatierra said. “That’s a historical legal case for ex-gay rights and we can give them that document…as well so they can archive that.”

Just like any African-American history exhibit includes materials about the KKK, the story of our people should include examples from the campaigns of the oppressors of LGBT Americans. In this one rare instance, I agree with PFOX.

LGBT History At The Smithsonian

Tony Perkins Has The Smithsonian Sadz

Now that the Smithsonian has launched an LGBT history collection, Perkins says they should be known as an "unnatural history" museum.

Smithsonian Adds LGBT History Items

Via the Associated Press:

Hundreds of photographs, papers and historical objects documenting the history of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are being added to the Smithsonian Institution's collection Tuesday, including items from the popular TV show "Will and Grace." Show creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick along with NBC are donating objects to the National Museum of American History. The collection includes original scripts, casting ideas, political memorabilia surrounding the show and the series finale. The network agreed to donate props, including a pill bottle and flask, a sign from "Grace Adler Interior Design" and Will Truman's framed college diploma.  The donation is part of larger effort to document gay and lesbian history, an area that has not been well understood at the museum. Curators are collecting materials from LGBT political, sports and cultural history objects from Arizona to Maryland. Some items being donated include the diplomatic passports of Ambassador David Huebner, the first openly gay U.S. ambassador confirmed by the Senate, and his husband; materials from a gay community center in Baltimore; and photography collections from Patsy Lynch and Silvia Ros documenting gay rights activism.

Other items in the collection include a tennis racket from Renee Richards, who won a landmark court battle after being barred from competing in the 1975 US Open.

Gun Stores Vs Museums & Libraries

Details. I bet the color choices weren't by chance.

9/11 Museum: 10 Year Time-Lapse

Clip description:

A letter from the CEO & Founder of EarthCam: It's been a heroic undertaking to rebuild downtown New York City after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Within days of this national tragedy, I personally installed a camera to webcast the rescue and recovery for the families, and the world, to see the brave determination of first responders. As the recovery effort continued, we installed more cameras to document the rebuilding and construction of the site. This commemorative time-lapse honors the victims of 9/11 and is dedicated to their families and friends, with special gratitude to the first responders and the steadfast construction teams.

9/11 Museum Dedicated In NYC

President Obama is in Manhattan this morning for the dedication of the 9/11 Museum, which finally opens to the public next week after years of delay. Among those attending the ceremony: The First Lady, Mayor Bill De Blasio, former mayors Rudy Guiliani and Michael Bloomberg, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Gov. Chris Christie, and the Clintons.

Some object to the $24 admission price for the public, including 9/11 families who have said it makes the museum a “revenue-generating tourist attraction.” (Victims’ families and several other categories of visitors are allowed to see the exhibit for free.) Revenue generated by the museum, which has a projected $60 million annual operating budget, allows the Memorial fountains and plaza to remain free and open to the public, museum officials have said. Meanwhile, the museum, a private, not-for-profit institution, is still fighting for federal funding. Efforts to secure federal funding for the 9/11 museum have been blocked in Congress. The museum directors had hoped to open three years ago, for the 10th anniversary of the attacks, but the project has endured funding disputes, building delays and even a flood caused by Superstorm Sandy. When asked what the most contentious issue has been, museum director Greenwald answered, "Everything."

The 110,000 square foot museum descends seven stories into the bedrock that once supported the towers. It contains over 10,000 artifacts, 23,000 photos, and more than 500 hours of film.

RELATED: Longtime JMG readers might recall that in 2011 I was solicited by the museum to donate a piece of artwork that I rescued from the front of a Chelsea grammar school during a rainstorm one week after the attack. I'm very curious to see if the piece has made it into the exhibit and if the museum's curators were able to establish the name of the child who created it.

Crazy Eyes Attacks National Women's History Museum Because Gay Marriage

"I believe ultimately that this museum, which will be built on the National Mall, on federal land, will enshrine the radical feminist movement that stands against the pro-life movement, the pro-family movement, and the pro-traditional marriage movement."

One Million Moms Vs Women's Museum

Just in via email:

Joe, How would you feel about your daughter or granddaughter taking a school field trip to Washington, D.C., excited to learn about American history, and only being sold "role models" like Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger...promiscuity promoter Gloria Steinem...and "free love" advocate Victoria Woodhull? The proposed National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) will glorify abortion and fuel the radical feminist movement for decades to come. How do I know this? The NWHM board is overwhelmingly filled with people who are pro-abortion and leftist in their ideology. 

Even more, the proposed museum's website references Margaret Sanger nine times and Victoria Woodhull over 20, while referencing Phyllis Schlafly only once and not mentioning Beverly LaHaye at all. It also highlights Sandra Fluke, while ignoring Jeane Kirkpatrick. Taxpayers, like you, will eventually foot the bill for this national shrine to abortion. While the NWHM claims that it will be privately funded, its true intentions are to follow in the footsteps of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of the American Indian. These museums respectively received over $50 million and $30 million from American taxpayers.

OMM is calling on its followers to deluge Congress with demands that the museum "not be paid for with federal funds or be filled with left wing propaganda."

FLORIDA: World AIDS Museum Dedicated In Wilton Manors, Magic Johnson Attends

The dedication for the World AIDS Museum took place in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Wilton Manors yesterday. Father Tony Adams took the above photo and he sends us this email:

I just went to the dedication of the fledgling World AIDS Museum in Wilton Manors. Magic Johnson was the special guest. He donated a jersey. He said that today is the 22nd anniversary of his coming out as HIV+. Steve Stagon, the founder, said that the museum will increase awareness and decrease the stigma of HIV/AIDS. A board member who came out as gay to his parents and got tested for HIV said that Magic Johnson inspired him to do it. He also made the point that the 9/11 museum honors the 3000 who died because of the attack, and the Holocaust museum honors the 6 million who died because of the Holocaust, but there have been 26 million deaths worldwide because of HIV/AIDS. There is much justification for this museum. This museum will have an education center to provide treatment and prevention information.

You can donate to support the museum here.

Queer History Month Starts Tomorrow

October is Queer History Month and the Pop-Up Museum of Queer History will launch an exhibit in Brooklyn on Saturday.

On the (Queer) Waterfront: Brooklyn Histories is a scatter-site-specific investigation of the queer histories of the beloved borough where the museum got its start. Through a series of performances, talks, community gatherings, and related events, it will explore the waterfronts and the stories they hold, starting new conversations about the queer history and contemporary life of Brooklyn.

There will be a launch party in DUMBO that day.

Morning View - Cleveland MOCA

Afternoon View - Cleveland Museum Of Art

The buildings on the right and left house the main exhibits. In the middle today local artists were selling prints of their work.

NYT Disses AIDS History Exhibit

AIDS In NYC: The First Five Years has been running all summer at the New York Historical Society.  Yesterday the New York Times issued a scathing review.

After seeing this show, a newcomer to this history would be hard pressed to understand the rise of the street-activist group Act Up, the takeover of the Food and Drug Administration headquarters by protesters or the legacy of mistrust between the medical-industrial complex and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

That’s not the only time the exhibition boosts the city at the expense of its queer residents. Here is how it explains the glacial pace of the government’s response to the crisis: “The number of New York voters committed to fight for gay causes was insufficient to form a political bloc strong enough to successfully demand public funds for research, housing, and social services. This was in part because so many gay citizens feared that embracing advocacy would reveal their sexual identities.”

Here, grammar is put through the ringer to avoid blaming homophobic, apathetic New Yorkers for their inaction. But the queer community’s own supposed failings are easy to read.

The show runs throught September 15th. Learn more here.

The Smithsonian Wants Trayvon's Hoodie

The Smithsonian has expressed an interest in acquiring the hoodie worn by Trayvon Martin on the night he was murdered.

Lonnie Bunch, director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture told The Washington Post Martin's hoodie represents an to further the discussion about race in America. “It became the symbolic way to talk the Trayvon Martin case. It’s rare that you get one artifact that really becomes the symbol,” Bunch told the newspaper. “Because it’s such a symbol, it would allow you to talk about race in the age of Obama.” Bunch, who has acquired a guard tower from Louisiana’s Angola State Penitentiary and the handcuffs used to restrain Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. in 2009, said he'd like to have the hoodie for his collection once the legal case is over.

All of the physical evidence in the case is being held while the Justice Department mulls a possible civil rights case against George Zimmerman.