Museum of Sex Opens in New York

The Museum of Sex officially opened its doors to the general public 5 October 2002 with its inaugural exhibition, "NYC Sex: How New York City Transformed Sex in America." NYC Sex investigates the sexual subcultures of the city's past and present, and explores how they have influenced the development of modern attitudes about sex and sexuality.

Loans from private lenders and public institutions, such as the New-York Historical Society, The New York Public Library, New York Academy of Medicine, the Kinsey Institute, New York Municipal Archives, American Antiquarian Society, and the Mutter Museum, allowed curators to delve deeply into the histories of prostitution, burlesque, birth control, obscenity, fetishism, and more. The inaugural exhibition of the Museum of Sex includes new selections from these public and private collections, including materials once confiscated and classified as obscene by government officials. These primary sources of social history--letters, photographs, films and newspapers--reveal how it has been possible in New York, more than in any other American city, to form communities around sex and sexuality.

NYC Sex was curated by Grady T. Turner, former director of exhibitions at the New-York Historical Society. The Museum also worked with Casson Mann, one of the United Kingdom's foremost exhibition design firms, to create the exhibition, as well as world-renowned Pentagram Design, Antenna Audio, and Small Design to develop a uniquely rich experience for museum visitors. A combination of displays, audio, artwork, video, and interactive installations help tell this story in a compelling and provocative way.

The Museum of Sex is dedicated to preserving and presenting the history and cultural significance of human sexuality. In its exhibitions, programs, and publications, the museum is committed to opening discourse and exchange, and to bringing the public the best in current scholarship. A portion of ticket proceeds from NYC Sex benefits AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), the Kinsey Institute, and the Lesbian Herstory Archives. For more information, visit <http://nycsex.museumofsex.com/>.