The Museum of Ice Cream
This past month I made a visit to The Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC).
I had heard about the venue when it debuted in New York City and after learning about the San Francisco opening, decided that it might be worth the expense. So I purchased a ticket for a Monday afternoon, took a little “me” time and decided to see what all the excitement was about.
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MOIC is the brainchild of 25 year old MaryEllis Bunn. Originating in New York City and then opening in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the venue has been a hit from day one. Celebrities like Katy Perry, Gwen Stefani and Gwenyth Paltrow have all made the pilgrimage in an effort to explore the promise of ice cream dreams and pastel goodness. As a lover of art and anything that embraces the Pantone color palette of 2016, it was on my list of September happenings to check out.
MOIC SF is located off Market Street in SOMA between 3rd and 4th Street. A large pink banner hangs outside the building, standing out from the everyday advertisements and store signs that normally haunt this area. After a short wait in line, guests are allowed into the lobby in groups (based on the time slot of each ticket). These small groups are then assigned code names (for example, Red Dragon Sprinkles) and moved through the museum in a systematic, controlled order.
Since the MOIC building was originally a bank, the first stop is the bank vault. The room, adorned with pastel pink accents, is a well-organized introduction to the upcoming adventure. It is where visitors are asked to leave the adult world behind and explore all that the space has to offer - including, but not limited to, touching the artwork, eating delectable treats and interacting with the staff. Near the vault are an array of gold-plated fruits, a pink painting reading “Scream” and an amazing wall of G.I. Joe figures in the same pastel hue. This first glimpse provides visitors with a sneak peak of the adventure to come.
In the following room, there are games to be played and ice cream to be sampled. The Diner Room, serving miniature cups of ice cream with berries and ginger crumbles, is a trip down nostalgia lane - an old jukebox with neon lights, leather stools and silver plated LPs adorn the walls. The records, a play on real musicians and songs, are modified to fit the sweet treat theme. The visual experience is beautiful but be cautious. If you leave one room to peek into the next, it is a one way street - visitors are asked to always go forward and never look back.
After leaving the diner, guests are greeted by a large white room with magnetic walls and pink alphabet magnets. People are encouraged to spell out their hopes, dreams, life goals or even their names. Once done, there is a snack of pink cotton candy and the Cherry on Top room just around the corner. A tribute to the topping that makes the sundae a sundae, the space is adorned with shimmering cherry wallpaper and a pair of human-size cherries reminiscent of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Here visitors can pose, repose and pose again to get that perfect Instagram shot. There are no lack of photo opportunities to be had when there are floating clouds and stem-adorned cherries hanging around.
The next stop on the tour is the Gummy Bear room. Larger than life lollipops, multi-colored gummy bears and candy pieces in twisted wrappers litter the floor of pink astroturf with striped walls. Pausing on the silver glitter walkway (think the yellow brick road from Wizard of Oz), a MOIC staff member is on site, festive and ready to stir things up. Visitors are encouraged to have their picture taken and even get an in-scene selfie with the employee. As groups move onward through the museum, there is ice cream and popsicle wallpaper and even frozen push-up pops protruding from the walls of one room. Each space is a tribute to ice cream in its many forms allowing visitors to visually, if not physically, get their fill.
A few other elements that should not be overlooked are the life-size white unicorn with a gold horn, waiting in a sea of rainbow stripes; the glitter room, a small alcove where a visitor can get a tiny bit of reflective privacy; and, as everyone knows, the notorious sprinkle pool. Each of these locations have their own pros and cons but help wrap up the pastel, ice cream tribute with a polished bow-on-the-top finale. As visitors prepare to exit the museum, there is a final stop by some indoor swings allowing guests to have a last bit of playtime, the gift shop and then a return to the real world.
With this overview of MOIC in place, I may have a harder time explaining my personal reaction. It is important to keep in mind that I am not their target demographic but I still left the experience asking some important questions (especially for a $30+ ticket). Was it cute? Yes. Did I have fun? I suppose I should say yes. Would I go back? I am not so sure. To be honest, there were some parts of the museum experience that were troubling and made me question visiting this type of popup in the future.
My first concern (and maybe most important) was the way the museum experience was controlled. Upon entering MOIC, I was ushered back outside and partnered with another single woman with the preconceived notion that it would be less of a fun experience if all visitors were not in pairs of two or more. As an individual who fights hard for equality to enjoy all that life has to offer regardless of relationships, friendships or social status, this implied a lack of acceptance or discomfort on the part of the museum for those who were solitary attendees. Does MOIC assume that individuals are unable of having fun alone or is this just not the way they want the experience represented to other visitors or social media viewers? Of this I am uncertain. In addition, being moved from room to room and not given the freedom to explore, contemplate or enjoy the space in an organic way defeated the purpose. It left me as a visitor with the impression that it was more important to sell tickets and move groups through the space quickly then to give people a true, honest experience - one that alluded to freedom, happiness and a sprinkle of childhood nostalgia. As a kid, part of the joy of being young is that feeling of freedom - exploring the wild, being rambunctious and being absolutely un-beholden to any adult obligations. The MOIC experience was the opposite. The visit felt stifled, controlled and relegated. The fun was partially forced versus a natural reaction or expression based on the environment. This strict control detracted from the amazing work that went into making this museum happen.
A second part of the MOIC experience I found difficult was based on my personal history as a curator, artist and current resident of San Francisco. As technology has become commonplace - offering efficiencies, connectivity, instant gratification - there are reverberating after effects. Our absorption with social platforms - what is happening on Instagram, Twitter, VSCO, Snapchat - has resulted in a less honest, less truthful visual expression of the human condition and experience. Our world has become more about how we represent ourselves to others via social media than what the actual experience might have been. This overarching social presence of how we, as individuals, want people to see us versus who we are was the hardest part of MOIC. The museum was built for selfies. MOIC’s Instagram feed is a perfect place where everyone is happy, beautiful, living the ideal life, and somehow, all clothes seem to blend perfectly with that pastel background. The museum and the way the experience is structured seems more about turning the camera inward and showing your experience to others versus creating a space of introspection or aesthetic immersion. In all reality, I probably spent 80% of my time trying to avoid crashing into other people’s selfies or taking photos for other people than actually experiencing the simple joy and originality of the space.
At the end of the day, I love the design sense and end goal of MOIC. The space is unique and beautiful to behold. What I question is the execution and whether the goal of an “experiential space” has been achieved. In an effort to control interactivity and representation and possibly maximize visitor attendance, has the opportunity for a new, real experience been overlooked?
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After completing this article, a friend sent me this amazing piece by Arielle Pardes in Wired Magazine titled Selfie Factories: The Rise of the Made-for-Instagram Museum. Great additional reading on this topic if you are so inclined.