Museum of Bad Gifts an homage to the awkward, the unwanted and the inappropriate

This holiday season, a group of four young artists has come up with a creative solution for dealing with awkward, unwanted, and inappropriate gifts. Stephanie Avery, Shari Kasman, Martin Reis, and Sean Martindale have opened the Museum of Bad Gifts at a gallery on Roncesvalles Ave.

The idea behind the museum is to give new life to those unwanted gifts that often end up collecting dust in a dark corner. Instead of throwing them away, the artists have decided to display them on the gallery walls for the public to enjoy.

According to Kasman, a bad gift is subjective, and what one person may consider bad, another may see as a gem. The group wanted to create a space dedicated to the anti-gift, exploring the emotional and cultural clutter that comes with obligatory gift-giving.

To curate the museum, the artists reached out to friends and colleagues to donate the worst gifts they had received over the years. Some items were loaned, while others were simply given to the gallery. Local artists were also inspired to transform these unwanted gifts into art pieces.

The museum features a diverse collection of bad gifts, including a spotted rubber hippo that quacks like a duck, a wine bottle made from a horse’s hoof, and a cookbook for one given to a newlywed. Visitors can also participate in the exhibition by drawing their own hated gift from memory and hanging it on the wall.

One station, the Imaginarium, provides crafting supplies for visitors to reimagine and improve upon their nightmare gifts. Sculptor Andy Fischer, for example, donated a Cabbage Patch doll that had been re-built using eerie found parts. The doll, now tastefully re-framed, is proudly displayed in the museum.

While some may view the museum as ungrateful, Kasman emphasizes that it’s all in good fun. The exhibits will be auctioned off at the end of the exhibition, with proceeds going to the Daily Bread Food Bank.

The Museum of Bad Gifts is open from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 at the Northern Gallery on 420 Roncesvalles Ave. It’s a unique and light-hearted way to celebrate the holiday season and give a new purpose to those unwanted gifts.