In Bergen, Alberta (Canada) you can find the Museum of Fear and Wonder, curated by Brendan Griebel and Jude Griebel. People are welcome to visit the museum on an appointment basis. In this video, we get a tour of some of the museum's unique artifacts and hear from the owners and curators of the collection. One of the owners explains that these objects are "emotionally uncomfortable," and have been a part of someone else's story at a point and time. Even without knowing their backstory, just looking at these objects will let a viewer know that they've had a complicated history or emotions were projected onto them by a previous owner.
On the museum's website, I learned that it "uses the dying tradition of the rural museum to highlight the psychological and narrative qualities of objects. The collection is comprised of emotionally complicated artifacts that speak directly to themes of human experience, identity, and myth-making. It forms a greater story in its entirety, both educating and mystifying its audience."
I pull a lot of inspiration from curiosities like the ones on display here. I appreciate that the people who run this place want to keep rural museums alive.
