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About the Museum

zy'-mo-glyph'-ic, adj. [Gr. zyme leaven + Gr. glyphe carving] 
1. Of, or pertaining to, images of fermentation, specifically the solid residue of creative fermentation on natural objects.
2. The collection and arrangement of objects, primarily either natural or weathered by natural forces, for poetic effect

Contact

To contact the museum, send an e-mail

If you don't see a link saying "here" at the end of the sentence above, type the following into the "To:" field of your e-mail:

Events

The museum's Xenophora collection is currently featured in the Peninsula Museum of Art's "Obsessions" show on collections and collectors. The show runs from Sept. 27 to Dec. 3, 2008

Silicon Valley Open Studios, May 2007

Silicon Valley Open Studios, May 2006

Curiosity Cabinet of the Collective Unconscious, Hive Gallery, Los Angeles, August 2006, and Burning Man, 2006

Press

San Mateo County Times, Sept. 26, 2008 - Article on "Obsessions" show including the museum's Xenophora collection

Dominion Post of Wellington, New Zealand, Oct. 12, 2007

Matrix Magazine #72 - Article about the museum by the curator in the Fall 2005 "New Victorians" issue

San Jose Mercury News, May 2, 2002 - Coverage of the museum's Open Studio

Museum History

Components of the museum have been around for a long time. Its evolution from a childhood museum is told in the historical essay The story of how the museum came to be. Early versions were presented to the public in San Francisco Open Studios from 1989 to 1993. The purpose-built building that houses the physical museum had its grand opening in April of 2000. A year later the museum extend its reach into cyberspace with its new web site. The museum has been open to the public as part of Silicon Valley Open Studios every year since then.

In November of 2005, the Curator's Web Log debuted to explore topics related to the museum, including museum history.

A summary of new additions to the museum can be seen on the museum's What's New page.

Questions and answers

Q: How did you find such a perfect word to describe your stuff?
A: I made it up.

Q: What about those snails that do the "assemblage art"? Did you make those up too?
A: No.

Q: Is there really a physical museum or is this just a web gallery?
A: It is an 8' x 12' shed in my driveway. It is usually be open in May as part of Silicon Valley Open Studios. You can also contact the museum to arrange a visit.

Q: Is any of this for sale?
A: No. As with a regular museum, the collections are not for sale, but there is a museum shop! Posters, postcards, mugs, calendars, and T-shirts are available at Cafe Press. If you don't see an image or product that you want there, simply send a request to me and it can probably be accommodated! The possible products can be seen here. Because of the way Cafe Press works, products are only available online, not at the museum itself.

Q: But why don't you sell the stuff you make?
A: Much of it is fragile and not very archival, and much of it is of personal significance to me and would be hard to part with. So the museum idea works better.

Q: Do you show other people's works in the museum or just your own?
A: For the Zymoglyphic galleries, it is just me (unless you count those snails as people). The Curiosity Cabinet shows a selection of objects in the museum's collections that other people have made, as well as natural curiosities.

Q: Do you get your ideas from dreams?
A: No. I just put stuff together and see what happens. Sometimes I have dreams about a terrarium with some primordial ooze in it that is actually alive. Other times I will dream about art works that, in the dream, other people have made. I think, "Wow! I wish I had thought of that!". Which, of course, I did.

Notices and disclaimers