I received this letter from Filip Noterdaeme & Madame Butterfly of the Homeless Museum last week.
Brooklyn, March 20, 2007
Dear friends and members of the Homeless Museum,
Madame Butterfly and I regret to inform you that we have decided to officially close HoMu BKLYN as of today.
As many of you know, I founded the Homeless Museum in 2003. It had its humble beginnings online and in a temporary exhibit in a painters studio in Chelsea before I installed it in our rental apartment in Brooklyn in March 2005. I was always aware that this would be a temporary solution and am grateful for having been able to house the Museum in our home up until now. Sadly, my landlord has recently informed me that he would not tolerate any more openings on the premise unless I sign a commercial lease and carry my own liability insurance coverage, a financial burden I am not able to take on. After consulting with several lawyers, I had to resign myself to stop using my residence for openings, lest I run the risk of being evicted.
I want to thank all of you who came and supported HoMu BKLYN in those two wonderful years. Madame Butterfly and I will miss the magic of our monthly openings. I will forever cherish the memory of welcoming and getting to know you in the coziness of our Staff and Security Department. Madame Butterfly will never again be able to cook eggs and mussels without shedding a tear. As for Florence Coyote, she has vowed to not utter a single word until a new home has been found for the Museum.
Madame Butterfly and I are determined to continue our work as museum mavericks. HoMu BKLYN may be closed for now, but the Homeless Museum will prevail and re-emerge somewhere else. We are actively seeking to find a temporary exhibition space for its collection and welcome any help from you.
In the meantime, we will revamp HoMus website (homelessmuseum.org) and post a virtual tour of the historic HoMu BKLYN online. In addition, we would like to invite all of you to submit comments, anecdotes, and recollections about your experience at HoMu BKLYN for the website. Kindly send your submissions to info@homelessmuseum.org by April 30.
Stay tuned for continued HoMu actions, performances, and exhibitions, and remember: Homelessness begins at home.
Warm regards,
Filip Noterdaeme & Madame Butterfly
Photo by Andreas Brunglinghaus
