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The Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata, a Hyde Park living room that serves double duty as one of Austin’s finest collections of wonders natural and manmade, from jackalopes to cases of snowglobes to vials of sleep to Bakhtin’s manuscript butt, a sincere and ironic admixture of P.T. Barnum and Renaissance Wunderkammern, will be holding an open house this Saturday, January 31st, the day after payday, the time when I descend from the cracked, dank roost that is my front porch and wander the city, trembling and hungry, skulking in and out of bars, running on sentences.
From the electronic handbill:
Distinguished Visitors:
Jen Hirt and Scott Webel present:
The Museum of Ephemerata,
Saturday, January 31st 2004, 7-10pm
3405-A Cedar Street
533-9906The Museum Of Natural And Artificial Ephemerata is pleased to announce our Winter Open House Gala in Hyde Park. This evening we will present recent acquisitions including:
- Czech Castle Stereographs,
- Temecula Seedpods,
- Post-Mortem Photo & Human Hair Memorial Wreath,
- Ermine Stoles,
- & George Bush Sr.’s Fudge Eyeball!
See Your Curators, Jen Hirt and Scott Webel, performing Antique Slapstick Antics, leading tours of the collection throughout the eve!
Hear Lauren Gurgiolo and David Lazaroff, serenading you with old time diddies and impressive improvisations!
Don’t Miss our Top Secret Mystery Surprises!Feel free to bring fermented beverages, edible objects, and, if possible, donations for the Museum and the Musicians. A variety of literature and souvenirs will be on hand, begging attention with their weepy kitten eyes. Your Curators have created a series of linoleum block prints depicting various Museum displays, bound to be popular family heirlooms and cherished novelty items!
We hope to see you there!
Scott Webel
Jen HirtTo Reach The Museum: from Speedway, go West on 34th Street, and take your second right onto Cedar [the first right is an alley]. From Guadalupe, go East on 34th Street, down and up a small hill. At hilltop, take the first left onto Cedar. Our house is the second on the right side of the street (3405-A), with porch lights and cats wandering through the yard, possibly jumping through hoops or walking on hind legs to attract your attention.
comments
i’ve seen these folks and their collection, and the musicians david and lauren a couple of times. good times.
posted by sentry on January 30, 2004 12:21 PM
I had found their old UT site a while back after reading a book about a similar museum in Los Angeles, and then had forgotten about the place, but last fall by some stroke of good fortune we happened to park in front of their house while cruising for some coffee or something on Guadalupe. Scott noticed us staring at the sign and invited us in for a tour… very kind of him since they typically only show by appointment. One of my favorite places in Austin, definitely.
posted by jacob on January 30, 2004 5:10 PM
A correction is necessary: 3405A Cedar St. is NOT Hyde Park. Hyde Park starts at 38th St. It is highly possible that good friends of mine lived in that very duplex in the 60s; wonderful memories.
posted by anonymous on June 22, 2004 2:44 PM
Every neighborhood where I can no longer afford to live is Hyde Park.
posted by jacob on June 22, 2004 4:26 PM
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