Mmuseumm is an ultra-trendy spot with a tiny yet fascinating collection of art objects. The New York Times included it in its list of “12 Hidden Art Gems of the World.” And that’s no coincidence — the museum is located inside a former freight elevator, with doors opening directly onto the street.
The “hidden gem” title also comes from the fact that the museum is only open on Fridays and weekends, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, you can always peek inside through a door’s peephole. And no, that’s not a joke!
Mmuseumm sits right where the prestigious Tribeca neighborhood ends and authentic Chinatown begins. So if you’re walking in the area, keep an eye out for large freight elevators.
Interesting Facts about Mmuseumm
- Mmuseumm is located in a former freight elevator shaft measuring just 5.5 square meters (about 59 square feet), in a narrow alley between Tribeca and Chinatown in New York City. It is easy to walk right past it if you don’t know where to look.
- The museum was founded by independent filmmakers, including the Safdie brothers, who directed Uncut Gems. Instead of traditional museum exhibits, they decided to collect everyday objects that tell stories about the modern world.
- The museum’s permanent exhibits include a compass that points Muslims toward Mecca, a snow globe from North Korea, and a toothbrush designed to fit over a finger.
- Exhibitions change approximately every six months. Past displays have featured people’s final messages before their deaths, belongings left behind by migrants in the Arizona desert, and even unusual cornflakes.
- In 2015, the museum opened a second gallery just a few doors down from the first. It was so small that people compared it to an airplane bathroom, and it housed both a gift shop and a coffee shop.
- One of the museum’s exhibitions — a replica of fashion designer Sarah Berman’s closet and belongings — spent nine months at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then another five months at a museum in Philadelphia.
- In 2019, more than 600 people gathered in the tiny alley for the opening of an exhibition, despite torrential rain.
- During the pandemic, the museum published a 300-page catalog featuring stories about its exhibits. The book allowed people to explore the collection without visiting the cramped space in person.
The History of Mmuseumm
Mmuseumm opened in 2012 in Lower Manhattan, in Cortlandt Alley, a narrow passage between Tribeca and Chinatown. Its first gallery was housed in a former freight elevator shaft measuring just 5.5 square meters (about 59 square feet).
The museum was founded by three independent filmmakers, including Alex Kalman and the Safdie brothers, who later directed Uncut Gems. They wanted to show that even the most ordinary objects can reveal a great deal about the modern world when viewed from a different perspective.
Instead of paintings and ancient artifacts, the first exhibitions featured shards of glass from New York City, a plastic glove from Montana, and a heating coil from Kaunas, Lithuania. The founders described the project as a “contemporary natural history museum.” Rather than studying dinosaurs and minerals, it explores objects from everyday life.
More than 50 people attended the opening in May 2012. At the time, the museum was simply called The Museum and operated around the clock, although visits had to be arranged in advance.
In 2015, the museum opened a second gallery, and its collection continued to grow. Over time, Mmuseumm gained recognition far beyond New York City. For example, the exhibition Sarah Berman’s Closet, a replica of Sarah Berman’s closet containing her personal belongings, was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for nine months, followed by another five months at a museum in Philadelphia.
Despite its growing reputation, Mmuseumm has retained its defining feature: it occupies a tiny space but tells big stories through the most ordinary objects.
The Collection of Mmuseumm
You definitely won’t get bored or tired here. After all, Mmuseumm covers only 1.5 square meters. It may be the only museum in the world that you can explore completely in a single glance while passing by.
The collection consists of carefully curated everyday objects that, at first sight, may seem ordinary. But in the exhibition context, they reveal profound cultural and social meanings. Mmuseumm follows the principle of “Object Journalism,” presenting items as stories about the contemporary world. Exhibits are updated annually, with each season dedicated to a particular theme or concept.
Some of the exhibitions featured at Mmuseumm include:
- “Personal Objects of Mass Migration” — items tied to human displacement, reflecting personal stories and struggles.
- “Nothing Is Worth More Than This Dollar” — objects illustrating economic contrasts and the value of things in different cultures.
- “The Nature of Nature” — artifacts related to natural phenomena and how humans perceive the environment.
- “Objects Made by Inmates in the U.S.” — items crafted in prisons, raising questions about justice and rehabilitation.
