MiM 010 - Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee
Made in Museums - Travels to Curious Museums
On this episode we’re visiting the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. From the largest vehicle to the world’s smallest vehicle, the Lane Motor Museum goes beyond the standard car museum by showcasing one-of-a-kind vehicles that meld human ingenuity with cultural influences.
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MiM 008 - Worlds of Puppetry Museum in Atlanta, Georgia
Made in Museums - Travels to Curious Museums
On this episode we’re visiting the Worlds of Puppetry Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. From displaying puppetry, performing puppetry and preserving puppetry, the Worlds of Puppetry Museum share their vision that puppetry is an art form that can unite people all around the world.
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MiM 007 - Pinball Hall of Fame Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada
Made in Museums - Travels to Curious Museums
Sitting down with Tim Arnold, founder of the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada allows us to peek behind-the-scenes and experience the truly unique aspects of this museum. First, it features pinball machines from every decade starting in 1933 when pinball machines were a small, countertop game. Second, the 250 machines on display have been fully restored and you can play every single one for either a quarter or fifty cents.
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MiM 006 - Museum of Design Atlanta - Atlanta, Georgia
Made in Museums - Travels to Curious Museums
My guest is Laura Flusche from the Museum of Design Atlanta. MODA is a museum dedicated to the world of design. Laura defines design as, “a creative process that inspires change, transforms lives and makes the world a better place.” Join me as we explore the abstract concept of what design is, and then the reality of how we interpret and interact with design every day.
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MiM 005 - Embroidery Museum in Louisville, Kentucky
Made in Museums - Travels to Curious Museums
Sitting down with Gwen Nelson and Cynthia Welch of the Embroiderer's Guild of America, which operates the Embroidery Museum, opened my eyes to the beautiful world of embroidery. The museum is small, and when you enter, you feel like you’re walking into a private art gallery. And after you listen to this episode, I think you’ll agree that the amazing work and creativity by the embroiderer’s in this collection showcase how what started as a functional craft can be transformed into art.
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MiM 004 - Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky
Made in Museums - Travels to Curious Museums
My guest is Michael Hudson, Director of the Museum for the American Printing House for the Blind. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, the museum is both a printing house and a museum with a distinctive focus – preserving and presenting the remarkable contributions of people who are blind and the history of printing materials for the blind or visually impaired community.
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MiM 003 - Beechcraft Heritage Museum - Tullahoma, Tennessee
Made in Museums - Travels to Curious Museums
My guest is Charles Parish of the Beechcraft Heritage Museum. The Beechcraft Heritage Museum isn’t a general aviation museum, but is focused only on the Beechcraft brand of airplanes. We cover why the Beechcraft airplane design is unique, how the first plane was designed, and the evolution of the plane’s design since the first plane built in 1932. Charles shares the backstories of the planes and people that helped kickstart the museum into being and continue to propel it into the future.
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MiM 002 - Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum
Made in Museums - Travels to Curious Museums
In this episode I visit the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum. This museum is remarkable for its singular focus – it’s all about the mineral fluorite (also known as fluorspar). Driving to Marion, Kentucky, I sat down with Ed Clement -- son of the founder of the museum.
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MiM 001 - Introduction
Made in Museums - Travels to Curious Museums
In each episode I feature a quirky museum that’s definitely off – and sometimes way, way, off – the beaten path. If you enjoy learning the backstory behind some very curious collections, then join me where we find the answer to the question, “Now, why would there be a museum about that?”
info_outlineWelcome to the first episode of my podcast Made in Museums! I’m your guide, Sandy DeWald. On this podcast we’ll explore the world of independent museums that were started because of someone’s passion for a very, very specific subject.
Have you ever seen one of those brown – or sometimes blue -- tourism signs along the highway or on some city street and thought, “Now, why would there be museum about that?” then this is the podcast for you. I mean, who hasn’t wondered -- why is there a National Bird Dog Museum, or an International Towing Museum, or a barbed wire museum?
I love traveling to off-the-beaten path, odd, or quirky places. If it’s some place only the locals know about, then that’s where I want to go. And if I can learn something knew or it makes me think by opening up an entirely new world you never knew existed – bonus! I am wholeheartedly in!
Who is this podcast for? Well, let me ask you this:
- Are you the type of person that reads every label in a museum?
- Do you casually drop such scintillating conversational tidbits at a friend’s party like, “You know, there are more than 530 registered patents for barbed wire resulting in over 2500 different types of barbed wire?” (yep – totally true)
- How about this one? When you go on vacation, do you research all of the local museums ahead of time, and then plan an intricate route to see how many you can visit?
- OR…have you ever negotiated with your family that, yes, you’ll agree to visit the 27,000 touristy things they want to do if they’ll, please, please, please, let you go to the museum featuring jewelry made from human hair or a psychiatric museum or a museum with glow-in-the-dark rocks>?
Does any of this sound like you? Then embrace your inner museum nerd and join me on this really interesting, curious, and sometimes crazy, journey!
Each episode will highlight one specific museum, and we’ll talk with someone connected to that museum. It could be the founder, a curator, a tour guide – really just about anyone – and we’ll discuss how the museum got started and why. We’ll uncover the stories connecting that person to the museum, the backstories of different objects found in the museum, and then how the museum connects with their community.
Over the years I’ve visited many small, independent museums. Museums make us think -- exposing us to new ideas that transform how we view ourselves and our relationships to the objects around us. Museums make us who we are.
Sometimes they may be creepy (seriously, side confession, doll museums have always kind of freaked me out). Some focus on mundane household items like quilts, teapots, or cookie cutters. Others feature traditionally beautiful objects such as minerals, airplanes, and silk tapestries, while others might just be more than a little macabre like lunatic asylums, medical museums, or former prisons.
There are over 35,000 museums in the United States. My goal is to highlight the smaller museums that you may have never heard of, but have truly fascinating collections and fantastic stories. I want to share the stories behind the labels, highlight the “must-see” items, and then give you the information to plan your own trip to these incredibly interesting places.
Museums aren’t stodgy relics that focus on the past, but are vibrant, odd, challenging places that spark curiosity. So let’s give a voice to museums, let’s get out there and visit these places, and together let’s answer the question, “Now, why is there a museum about that?”