EROTIC HERITAGE MUSEUM
OPENS IN LAS VEGAS.
Sin City added yet another premiere adult destination to its roster when the Erotic Heritage Museum opened here earlier this month. The gala event for artists, critics, and friends drew a crowd of several hundred that experienced art, film, memorabilia, and events including a performance art wedding staged in a Grecco-Roman-style wedding chapel by artist Keith Murray. Murray’s service in which he was dressed as half groom and half. bride was officiated by an “Elvis Ministor.” Also on hand were head-to-toe, spandex- and vinyl-clad women tooling around the museum in mechanized vehicles as part of Jeff Gord’s performance art piece, “Mechanised Maidens”.
The museum is owned and managed by the Exodus Trust, a non-profit California Trust that’s sole purpose is to bridge the gap between that which is commercial and often misidentified as pornographic, and that which is aesthetic encompassing movements including folk, pop, and fine art. And just this morning, the museum received its license to campaign for charitable donations of both money and art. The campaign is entitled, “Save Our Erotic Heritage”, and of course all donations are tax deductible.
According to Grand Patron Harry Mohney, “tonight is a celebration of human sexual artifacts and should be inspiration to the inhibited to enjoy their sexuality.” When asked about the turnout, trust manager Dr. and Reverend R. Theodore McIlvenna, a preacher for over 40 years and PhD, said: “With attendees from nineteen countries and twenty-five states, I’m surprised by the wide diversity of attendees and yet I haven’t heard one negative comment.” He continued, “tonight is a testament to the fact that if people want to know, it’s here. If we can’t take care of ourselves, we won’t be able to take care of others.”
The museum encompasses over 24,000 square feet of permanent and featured exhibit space with a special emphasis on the unfolding of the American Sexual Revolution of the 20th Century. The Museum opens with the theme “Erotic Art Now,” and features the following artists: Francois Dubeau, Bobby Logic, Todji Kurtzman, Jacqueline Cooper, Keith Murray, Michael Grecco, and Jeff Gord.
The largest archive of its kind in the world (twenty-five warehouses full) provides rich material for rotating exhibitions selected by the curatorial staff. Many formats and media represent a wide spectrum of behaviors and attitudes including many rarities never before available to the public including important documents of science, history, and art.
The collection of the Moving Image, the most notable single collection in the Archive, provides focus for understanding the sexual revolution of the mid-20th Century. The Museum offers cultural context for appreciating these works many of which are priceless artifacts which the Museum endeavors to collect and preserve.
The Museum is an ideal environment for lectures, symposiums, classes and workshops to promote artistic, educational, scientific, and literary functions. The Erotic Heritage Museum supports academic pursuits and research through the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality [www.iashs.edu] and its satellite campus. Continuing education will also be offered through The American College of Sexologists [www.americancollegeofsexologists.org], as well as other affiliated academic associations and organizations.
According to Dr. Laura Henkel, artistic director for the Museum, “I encourage the residents of Las Vegas to visit the Museum. This Museum is for everyone. It’s an opportunity to learn about ourselves and about others, and a delightful way to spend a few hours. I’m certain you’ll experience at least one tingle, one smile while visiting the largest erotic art collection in the world.”
Located just a short trip from The Strip at 3275 Industrial, doors open daily at 11 a.m., admission is $15, $12 for students and seniors with ID. Las Vegas residents with valid local ID will also receive 50% off admission. All visitors including those to the gift shop must be 18 years of age.