Talking Human Sexuality, Exhibits And The History Of Sex Toys With The Museum of Sex Curatorial Team

The Museum of Sex was created to preserve and present the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality. At its two locations (Miami and New York City where it started in 2002) the museum’s scholars, historians, curators and advisors produce exhibitions, publications and programs that bring the best of current scholarship to the widest possible audiences. The museums constant committed to free speech, public enlightenment, discourse and engagement, makes it especially important during these times of so much cultural derision.

Having curated more than 50 exhibitions, hosting permanent collection of over 20,000 artifacts comprised of works of art, photography, clothing and costumes, technological inventions and historical ephemera, the two MOS locations are truly unique spaces. Receiving attention from academic institutions, major publications, media outlets, and celebrities, the Museum of Sex has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Esquire and Time and on television broadcasts ranging from CNN to IFC to NBC’s Law & Order Criminal Intent.

Below we learn from the Museum of Sex Curatorial team just what is going on in their locations presently.

From your certainly learned historical perspective what do you think has changed in human sexuality over the years?

There have been so many turning points in the long history of human sexuality. Hundreds of years ago people talked openly about things we would consider taboo today, and vice versa. I think we’re in a moment now of very candid conversations about sex.

Young people especially are wearing their sexuality as a badge of honor.

At the Museum of Sex we’d like to believe that a lot of that shame and stigma is gone forever, but really, time will tell.

What makes for a good museum exhibit? And what determines the length of how long you will have one, if one stays permanent or just comes in for a brief time?

A good museum exhibit for us has to be eye-catching design wise, while informative and up to date. It has to offer a new perspective of the topic it explores, presented in innovative and attractive ways.

The length of the exhibitions depends on several factors. Many times, it is determined by the length the objects owners are willing to lend, but usually we rotate exhibitions every six to eight months to refresh the galleries. This way the audience can find new artists and stories in our museum every time they visit us.

As many other museums, we also have collection-based exhibits on view long periods of time, like Artifacts XXX: Selections from Secret Collections in New York, and Modern Sex: 100 Years of Design and Decency in Miami.  We rotate objects in that kind of exhibit showcasing new collection items every year, still keeping the exhibition concept and design.

Interested as we are in sex toys and adult novelties, can you give us a peek into what toys are on display in your "Modern Sex: 100 Years of Design and Decency”, [AV1] exhibit? 

Modern Sex… explores how the classification of health and the medicalization of intimacy, have transformed over time since the 1920s. For example, we have Vibrators or “Massagers” (A.C. Gilbert Company. Metal, wood, rubber, plastic, fabric power cord) from ca.1925. The term Massager was used from the 1920s until the 1960s, to conspicuously refer to vibrating, genital-stimulating apparatuses.   

From the 2010s, people can find a masturbator model of pornstar/actress/director, Juli Ashton's pussy and ass (Doc Johnson. UR3 silicone). The first anatomically designed male masturbators were produced by Doc Johnson in the 1970s. By the late 1980s, sex toy manufacturers such as Tucker and Topco were all releasing toys molded from porn stars’ genitalia.

An interesting one is an ass lock (Master series. Stainless steel), ca. 2015. It’s a toy used for pleasure today but commonly thought to have been a torture device during the Spanish inquisition. Some historians have claimed that the ass lock was a horrific object of cruelty that resulted in the death of victims. Other historians believe it was created for display in torture museums for its shock value. Ass locks have been recently redesigned to apply a pleasurable sensation of pressure when spread, functioning as a butt plug and a chastity device.

There are also featured examples of bondage and impact toys, like nipple clamps, paddles and ball gag by Sportsheet; multi-erogenous toys including a dual vibrating arc, a LovGun, and a Manta Vibrator Stroker; partnered toys like Buffer rings, pegging harness, among others; condoms and specialty lubricants by Maude; and luxury dildos made of Maplewood or rose quartz, and obsidian cock rings are also on display.

Can you tell us what’s coming up at the museum?

One of the shows we’re particularly excited about, that will open first in New York and then travel to Miami, explores the history of modern sex cults and communes. It’s such a rich history, full of surprises, from the 19th century to the present. The popular image of “sex cults” tends to be pretty negative; really focused on the ones that go off the rails and end in tragedy. But there’s so much more to these intentional communities. We look forward to telling their stories, through artifacts that include costumes and sacred objects—not to mention film and music.

Find out more about the Museum of Sex here:

https://www.museumofsex.com/